Gone
by Lady Charity
Summary: They say you never know what you got till it's gone. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Thank you a bunch for even considering reading this story! It means so much to me! This is my second HSm fic, technically my eighteenth fanfic in all. Though about five of them, my sister wrote. **

"God, Ryan! Get it right! You messed up _again_!" I snapped. Ryan nodded tiredly, wiping sweat off his forehead and continued the dance move we were trying to rehearse, except Ryan kept messing up the super easy footwork. It was thwarting.

"Kelsi!" I barked. The scrawny pianist peeked from behind the run-down piano. "Go play measure sixty-three again!"

Kelsi meekly nodded and ducked back down behind the piano, her plaid hat barely visible. The familiar upbeat tinkling of the piano sang out again, and I flourishingly performed my dance moves. Unfortunately, the blaring school bell rang, informing East High that free period was over. Kelsi hurriedly swept all her music sheets into her folder and scurried out of the auditorium before I could gulp down my mineral water. Ryan pulled his messenger bag over his shoulders and headed towards the door. He didn't know, however, that a piece of crisp white paper fluttered out of his opened flap. I scooped it up like a starving vulture and my eyes scanned through the page.

"Ryan," I immediately snapped. Ryan jadedly looked over his shoulder.

"What?" he asked.

"What's this?" I asked, waving the baseball information sheet in his face. He made a sudden movement, as if daring to snatch it from my fingers. I immediately swiped the paper away from his grasp.

"You're joining the _baseball_ _team_?" I demanded.

"Yeah, so?" asked Ryan, cocking an eyebrow.

"I can't believe this!" I growled. "You're supposed to be fully focused on the upcoming spring musicale! We can't lose to those amateurs again just because _you_ decided to join some stupid sports team!"

"What's wrong with some extra curriculums?" questioned Ryan innocently.

"This!" I jabbed a pink fingernail at the practice hours. "Free period and after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Ryan, those times are already reserved for us practicing for the auditions! No way am I going to have another callback and lose!"

"I thought you already got over Troy and Gabriella's spotlight," Ryan said.

"I'm not just talking about those two!" I barked. "Probably more and more new people are going to try going for the lead roles! We need to show them that we and only we are the ones that can handle the responsibility and the talent to have the lead roles! I expect you to be here every single day practicing for the auditions!"

"Not everything's going to live up to your expectations, Sis," Ryan said coolly. He calmly slipped the paper out of my fingers and exited through the door to his next class.

I huffed for breath and screamed. Stupid Ryan! How could he just abandon me in my time of need? Wasn't I _always_ there for him? I didn't bother answering myself, already concluding that Ryan was jealous of my spotlight. It wasn't my fault he kept messing up the footwork and needed to be in the back!

"Shouldn't you treat Ryan nicer?" Kelsi popped up from behind the row of seats, her music scattered on the ground. She obviously was clumsy enough to trip and drop her music, then eavesdrop on me.

"What did you say?" I said, stepping closer to her. Kelsi's macho façade quickly vanished.

"A-all I'm saying is that—is that Ryan's been treating you all the time with kindness and everything, so, so maybe you should too—"

"Kelsi, do I look like Ryan to you?" I demanded. Kelsi shook her head weakly. "I'm not Ryan, and never will I be him. Kelsi, you don't _buy_ things with kindness. Ryan gives me it, and I receive it. There's no need for some stupid second trade!"

I flipped my blond hair over my shoulder and strutted out the auditorium.

"You know, you'll regret it if he's ever gone!" Kelsi yelled. I stopped dead in my tracks and laughed. Why would Ryan leave me? It wasn't like he was going to move away and not be able to come visit anymore. I rolled my eyes and continued to my next class.

(HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM)

"Hey…Shar?" asked Ryan tentatively, his blond head poking from the doorway.

"What is it, _Ry_?" I drawled, flipping through my magazines in my glittery pink room. What did _he_ want?

"I just wanted to say…sorry for arguing with you," said Ryan. "I mean, I still want to be in the baseball team, but I shouldn't have put up a fight with you."

"What_ever_, Ryan," I snapped, now dusting blush on my cheeks. "It's not like I care about _your_ life, it's just that your baseball thing is going to go haywire with _mine_."

Ryan bit his lip and leaned casually on the doorframe. He struggled to change the subject.

"Sharpay? Ryan? Can you come downstairs, please?" our dad's voice hollered from downstairs. I groaned and flung my glossy magazine across my bed and swaggered out of the room. Ryan quickly caught up to me.

Mother and Daddy were sitting politely on the leather couch in the study, lounging on complete opposite sides of the it. Ryan hesitantly settled in the swivel chair near the computer as I plopped down on the velvet armchair.

"Sharpay, Ryan," began my mother. She swallowed and her eyes darted away from us. I cocked an eyebrow. "Your father and I have been discussing some issues and…before we say anything, this has nothing to do with you."

Ryan frowned quizzically and glanced at me. I raised my eyebrows at Mother.

"We believe that…" began Daddy. "That your mother and I don't…love each other anymore."

I felt Ryan stiffen in his chair. I just stared at Daddy, my mind unbelieving.

"We are going to get a divorce." I felt like the whole world just ended.

"What?" whispered Ryan. "What do you mean, divorce? You're not serious, are you?"

Mother looked down guiltily at her hands. Daddy cleared his throat, and then cleared it again.

"Sharpay, sweetie, you…you're going to stay here in Albuquerque."

I gave a sigh of relief. I was afraid that Ryan and I were going to be whisked off to another godforsaken spit on the United States.

"Ryan," Mother said. "I'm going to be moving to Ohio, and you'll come with me."

When the caterpillar thought life was over, it became a butterfly. And when the butterfly thought life was getting better, it immediately got swallowed up by a bird. That's exactly how I felt.

Divorce.

Whoever knew such a simple word that meant nothing to me before would bring my whole glamorous world crashing down?

I just stared.

My mouth was dry, I couldn't speak.

So were my eyes, which somewhat surprise me.

Mom's leaving.

She was going to be gone.

And she was taking Ryan with her.

I felt like a statue, a shell-shock form. My mind ad permanently turned off and I couldn't feel anything. Not my raging emotion as any normal human being would feel nor Ryan's hand clutching my own.

Did I care? _Of course not!_ my mind hissed. _Be glad it isn't you who's going away, at least you get to stay here with your glamorous life and school. Now you can have the spotlight all. For. You. _

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" The words came spewing out of my mouth before I could react. "How could you? Ripping us apart like that? How…how dare you?" I breathed heavily, but I went on. "We're _twins_! Twins aren't supposed to be separated! _Families_ aren't supposed to be separated!" I huffed, clutching Ryan's cold hands into my own clammy ones.

"Please, dear," said my mother quietly, her eyes wet and glossy. "Please, just listen to us—"

"Don't you dare even try saying that, Mother!" I snapped. "This isn't for the greater good, this isn't going to help any of us, and this isn't the right decision!" I scoffed and spun on my stiletto heel, marching up the mahogany steps. I slammed the bedroom door behind me and screamed with anger. I hurled my designer purse at the glittery wall and flumped onto my bed, begging my tears to come. They didn't disappoint me.

Why, why, _why _did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? I clenched my teeth to force the bloodcurdling scream back.

How could they do this to me? What were they thinking, forcing Ryan and me to separate like this? I heaved for breath; I felt like part of me, the part where Ryan belonged, was already gone and dead. I already felt incomplete, deserted, _alone_.

"They're so selfish!" I screamed in my bean pillow. "They only care about themselves! They don't care about how this is going to affect us!"

I clutched the bean pillow and chucked to the nearby dresser. Elizabeth Arden perfume bottles flew off the dresser and broke cleanly on the white carpet, staining the ground with such a strong fragrance it seemed as if exquisite flowers were blooming on the floor. I didn't care about the mess. My mind was whirling with a hurricane of anger, jeers, cries, and memories.

Ryan and I were together forever, and now we're going to be ripped apart without mercy. My mind immediately flashed back to our first school production. It was me that was crying with anxiety. It was Ryan that comforted me, and after that that memory was just another moment of the past. Why didn't I treat him better? Why didn't I appreciate how he was always there for me even when I was what everyone called an Ice Queen? I beat my fists on the carpet like an immature child throwing a nasty tantrum.

A soft tapping sound rang out behind me. Someone was rapping the door.

"GO AWAY!" I screamed, disgusted at how my voice was thick with tears.

"Shar?" whispered Ryan. My eyes widened. I quickly scampered to the mirror and wiped away my trail of mascara and tears with scented tissues. Quickly throwing a blanket over my perfume mess, I hurriedly wrenched the door open. Ryan stood there, his skin now paler than before, his eyes seemed to be bluer with an ocean of tears. Nevertheless, he gave a weak, sad smile.

"How's it going?" he asked simply, as if nothing happened.

I sniffed discreetly and cocked an eyebrow coldly. "How's it going? I'd rather go through the humiliation I almost went through in the Midsummer Night's Talent Show any day than this."

Ryan sighed sadly and gripped my hand. How was it that his fingers were so cold?

"It's not the end of the world, Shar," he said softly.

"Easy for you to say," I scoffed.

"We'll visit each other again, won't we?" he said, a tint of pleading in his voice. "We can phone each other, right?"

"Yeah, like you can do the musical while singing through the phone," I growled. Ryan's face fell, and I felt like I was choking on my tears.

"Some things won't be the same," he said. "But everything's going to be okay."

"How the heck can you say that, Ryan?" I snarled. "_Everything's going to be okay. _Yeah right! My whole life is going to be ruined because of this idiotic divorce! This is no time to be some pathetic optimistic freak, Ryan! God, you're so stupid!" I shoved him aside and stomped towards the downstairs, muttering to Mom and Daddy about some 'fresh air' as my conscience hurried to catch up.

**The summary for this story is from tobyMac's Gone. Even if the song tells a different story, the line is still real.**


	2. Chapter 2

**(gasps) chapter 2! When did I put this story up...two days ago? Or yesterday? Either way, I'm updating a lot faster than I did before. Of course, once the story hits about five chapters, update may be going slower. Unless it ends at chapter 5. Then all is well.** **Thanks to Danny Phantom SG-1 who was my beta for my first chapter and thanks to all those who reviewed!**

I slammed the door of my pink convertible shut, the bang echoing in the spacious garage. Groaning, I rested my forehead on the leather steering wheel. Why, why, why did this happen to _me_? I had to get out of here, from this stupid hovel. I shoved the glittery car keys into the engine and backed out of the driveway.

"Where the heck are you planning to go, Sharpay Evans?" I muttered to myself. Zeke's place, perhaps? Maybe he baked a good chocolate meringue cake ready for me to gobble down my worries away. I flipped open my rhinestone cell phone and dialed his number.

Well, wasn't this just the bloody chocolate on the meringue cake. Zeke as at the King Lumberhead Basketball Boy's house. I drove slowly around the neighborhood, weighing my choices carefully. Going home was out of the question because it meant coming back to _them._ The people who ruined my life. Kelsi would just say "I told you so!" and Gabriella…I shivered at the thought. I'd rather poke needles in my eyes than considering Freaky Math Girl. The evening chill crawled up my skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps. I shivered slightly, yearning for my Burberry jacket. I drove past the neat line of houses, all built the same with all the same happy, unbroken families. I glowered at them and returned glaring at the road ahead. Why couldn't my life be just…just…oh, what was the word for it? Not tragic?

"Hey Sharpay!" cried a voice. I halted to a stop and turned to the direction of the voice.

Just my luck. It was the Lumberhead, Heart-breaking, musicale-stealing, Basketball boy himself, trouncing over with his posse, clutching a sweaty basketball. I shuddered.

"What do you want, Bolton?" I snapped.

"Well, I thought you might want to join us," said Troy.

"Why would I join you to throw _that_," I shot a scowl at the sodden rubber lump that boys considered tossing it around fun. "across the yard an into some stupid net?"

"It's not just that," Troy added. "Since it's the weekend, all the Wildcats are gathering around and all, just staying over. You can invite Ryan over, if you want."

The name Ryan triggered my bubbling anger. Without even sparing them a glance or uttering a single word, I quickly drove on with accelerating speed. I heard Troy's protests, but who really cared?

Now what was I going to do? There was absolutely no way I was going back to that house again, and I would actually rather go there than hang out with those basketball fiends. I suddenly heard coughing and choking behind me. I whirled around.

"Who's there?" I demanded. No voice, but the spattering continued. I frowned and glanced at my gas bar.

Oh. Shoot. I'm losing gas. That's what I heard. I glanced around, but there wasn't any gas station for me to stop by. I groaned and slowed to a stop by the edge of the road. The only place I could head to is home. Not the mall, nor the nearby stage. I seethed silently and slowly drove back home.

Maybe I could sneak into the garage and sneak some extra gas we had in a tank into my car. Then I won't have to stick around. I discreetly steered the car into the empty garage. Mother and Daddy were obviously gone to find solace in their friends and wallow in finely brewed pity.

I sighed and rested my head on the cool leather seat. I felt confused, but not angry. Why was I confused, at a time like this? Shouldn't I be angry, upset, or self-pitying? I closed me eyes, letting the peaceful emptiness fill me in.

Ryan. I was going to leave him. Forever, maybe. I doubt that Mother and Daddy would want to be near each other. What was I supposed to do? My heart gave a pang of guilt after a flash of all the horrendous things I did to Ryan. Was I really that evil? I felt sick.

Leaving Ryan felt like going through a torture chamber. He isn't leaving yet, but I felt like half of me was already gone. Maybe more. Ryan and I are so close, how the heck are we going to be separated?

Grow unattached. 

What? How's that going to help?

_If you grow less connected and more distant, him leaving wouldn't be any pain._

That's the stupidest idea I ever heard!

_Tell me how it's stupid,_ demanded the voice in my head. _Would you rather have your heart be torn to pieces and you a shell-shock lump of a mourning Wildcats Queen? Trust me on this. You can count on me. _

I didn't want to give in. I struggled to claw my way out of that honey-sweet, tranquil voice that flowed smoothly in my mind. It was a stupid idea, a terrible idea. That wouldn't stem the flow, it would just increase it by tenfold. Right?

Too late. I felt my inner self finally let go of my mind, and it gave into the voice

I groaned and laid my head on the steering wheel, resting before I took off again.

BEEP! 

I yelped and sat up, rubbing my head. Dangit. I accidentally honked the horn. I slapped myself on the forehead for my stupidity and skulked out of the car. There was no point leaving when about everyone in the whole neighborhood could hear the horn.

I finally entered my home. The air of solitude still lingered, and this time, it wasn't pleasant. I threw my car keys onto the kitchen counter and stomped up the stairs.

"Hey, Shar," said a familiar voice. I froze. Ryan. Before I knew it, I felt my body tense and my mind lash with ruthlessness. It was if the snake voice possessed me completely.

"What do you want?" I hissed. Ryan's voice faltered slightly.

"I…I was just wondering if you want to…do something together…" his voice trailed away to a bare whisper.

"Do I know you?" When did those words come tumbling out of my mouth? My tongue was acting on its own accord, and I couldn't stop it.

"What?" Ryan stiffened. "S-Shar, are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine," I growled. Ryan sighed.

"Sharpay, if you want to talk to me, you can," he offered weakly. "This…this divorce thing shook me too, but we'll get through it, we're brothers and sisters."

"We are?" I cocked my eyebrow. Ryan took a step back, his face shocked. "I don't think we are anymore. Once you and Mother get out of here, the family's disbanded. We won't be siblings anymore. You'll be whatever, and I'll be Evans."

"That's ridiculous, Sharpay," said Ryan, his voice shaking slightly. "Mom and Dad's divorce doesn't mean we're divorcing as siblings. We'll always be brother and sister!"

"Not for long," I continued as the snake inside coiled with satisfaction. "I don't want you as my brother anymore, okay? You always mess things up, you betray me like that time in Lava Springs, you're so clueless, and…and I can think of so much more!" My real self struggled in its bonds, screaming for the snake to stop. The snake seemed to hiss smugly and continued to manipulate my tongue. "You're the worst brother anyone can ask for! I can't wait till you move out, because then I can finally have some peace!"

Ryan stared at me, his blue eyes wide and all the color in his face draining away, leaving only a pale sheen. He looked as if I stabbed him. I pushed him aside and dragged my feet to my room. It wasn't until I locked my door was I free from the snake's grasp.

What did I just say? None of those things I said were true! Okay, so he did betray me, but that was one out of three. I snatched a pillow from my bed and whacked myself with it, collapsing into the plush chair and sobbing.

I _was_ terrible. I was an Ice princess. No, an Ice _Queen_. But at least an Ice Queen wouldn't just hurt their own brother, the _best_ brother anyone could ask for. I tasted salty tears and didn't realize I was crying. I walloped myself again with the throw pillow. I didn't deserve to cry. I didn't deserve to have any emotions whatsoever. I didn't even deserve Ryan. How was I blessed with such a wonderful brother when I was a terrible, malicious, selfish brat?

I wiped my tears away with my pillow, staining it with dripping mascara. What was I supposed to do? I was afraid of apologizing. What if Ryan didn't forgive me, or start yelling his own feelings about me? Trust me, I can assure everyone that if anyone deserved to yell at me and not receive a nice punch, it was Ryan, who probably went through more iciness than all of the East High Wildcats put together.

And what if that stupid evil doppelganger of mine comes back? What if I start spewing out more untrue insults and then Ryan will never forgive me? That is, if he would be able to forgive me now. I laid the side of my head against the pink walls, hearing a faint strumming of guitar strings and a faint voice. I frowned and pressed my ears closer to the wall. I could hear Ryan's voice and guitar stream through the tiny cracks.

"_I tried to be perfect,_

_tried to be honest,_

_tried to be everything that you ever wanted._

_I tried to be stronger,_

_Tried to be smarter,_

_Tried to be everything but you…"_

My sight blurred and a gush of tears cascaded down my cheeks. I hurt Ryan, I broke Ryan.

My goodness, what have I done?

**A/N In a sense, melodramatic, but in another sense, sad for dear Ryan (sobs). But we all need some Ryan-torture in our lives! And it doesn't always have to be physical…yes, Sharpay's a bitch, and yes, she's being stupid. But people may tend to go to desperate measures to avoid pain. She just got the short end of the straw and had to have a pretty bad time…the song is Hawk Nelson's Everything That You Ever Wanted. The message is different, but I liked that stanza enough to put it in.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review, for feedback is always welcome! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so so so so so much to all those who read and reviewed my story! The feedback is really appreciated! I got more Ryan-bashing coming along, just not in this chapter. Maybe three or four.**

I blearily opened my eyes. My body groaned and ached. I slowly gazed at my surroundings. I was at my room all right, still curled up in an awkward position on my fuzzy chair, my neck sore because my head was leaning on its side on the wall. I moaned and rubbed my neck. Did I fall asleep? Well, that was a stupid question, of course I did. I glanced at the bright purple digital clock on my nearby Parisian night table. Its neon-pink light glared 1:23 AM. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Thank goodness it was a weekend.

Ryan. The name triggered my mind, and I immediately sat up, though my aching limbs protested. I pushed them away. I had to apologize to Ryan. Screw the shattered heart when he leaves.

But…I was afraid to apologize to Ryan. No, I was afraid to even see Ryan. The last time I yelled at him, I had no control whatsoever. What if that happens again? What if I start hurting him and there wasn't any way I could stop? I shook my head and leaned back on the chair, my head hitting the hard wall. I couldn't avoid him forever, that'll probably be just as painful. I draped a cashmere wrap around my shoulders and scurried towards the door.

Something white caught my eye. I stooped down and tentatively plucked it off the ground. It was Ryan's handwriting. My heart took a jolt of worry, afraid that he poured all his anger and emotions onto this little piece of paper.

He didn't. In fact, he acted like it never happened, which made that little stew of guilt in my stomach bubble up.

_Shar,_

_Mom and Dad aren't going to be home for a while, they say they're going to stay at some friend's house to recollect themselves. Dinner's ready, but you were asleep. I left some lasagna in the microwave for you. _

_If you ever want to talk, I'll be there for you. _

_-Ryan_

I bit my lip and tossed the note onto my dresser. If he really was waiting downstairs, I might start yelling at him again. That'll be a fine memory plastered in my mind as the last thing I ever did with my brother. Maybe I should stay up here. Suddenly, my stomach started to rumble like an earthquake, and hunger clawed my tummy like an impatient kitten. I was hungry, no doubt. Sighing, I slowly opened my creaking door and tip-toed downstairs. I could only hear my gentle breathing, seeing that it was so lonely in this house.

I slipped into the kitchen and found the plate of lasagna in the microwave. I punched in the numbers and pushed the start button. I seated myself on a stool near the kitchen island that overlooked the living room.

I saw Ryan sprawled on one of the leather couches, still dressed in his loose button-down shirt and khaki pants. He breathed slowly in his sleep and shivered slightly at the cold. My heart wrung with pain. He must've been up all night, waiting for me to come down…I slowly slid off the stool and tentatively advanced towards him, praying he wouldn't wake. He didn't, thank goodness. I gazed at him for a few seconds, my mind whirring.

You're supposed to stay away from him! Not grow attached to him! 

I don't care! How can I make both of us go through this pain? Now go away!

_Fine. Be that way. But when he leaves, you'd be so heart-broken and mourning, you'd probably be known as the Emo-Queen, not Ice Queen. _

I didn't even bother arguing with my mind anymore. I was too tired to do that.

It was so cold tonight. Like the air was weaved with ice. I wrapped the blanket tighter on my shoulders.

Ryan shivered again. Hesitantly, I stretched my fingers towards his hand. It felt chilly, as if he was wearing a glove of snow. I glanced over my shoulder at the lasagna warming up. That'll warm me. I slid the sparkling blue blanket off my shoulder and covered Ryan with it.

* * *

"_Surprise!" screamed Mother and Daddy. I suddenly sat up, my layers of blankets flying everywhere. _

"_Wuzzgoingon?"_

"_Everything was a joke!" Ryan suddenly burst into the room and wrapped his arms around me. I felt warm and protected in his embrace. "Today's April 1__st__, didn't you know that? We were joking about the whole divorce thing! We're going to stay as one whole family!"_

_I felt my jaw drop. "You—you mean you're not divorcing?" After receiving a chorus of nods, I glared at them. "That was such a cruel joke!"_

_Everyone hopped onto my bed and wrapped their arms around me. "We're sorry. We'll stick together forever, won't—"_

"**THIS FEELINGS LIKE NO OTHER, I WANT YOU TO KNOOOOW…"**

The miraculously good dream was suddenly ripped into shards and mercilessly thrown away. I sat up suddenly from my bend, blankets flying everywhere like in my dream. Unfortunately, there wasn't any Mother or Daddy to pop up and tell me everything's all right. Was someone trying to serenade me or something? They were doing a pretty bad job.

Wait.

That's my alarm clock.

Without any hesitation, I swiped the clock off my night table and chucked it against the wall. The singing immediately halted. I groaned and slumped back onto my pillows. I rubbed the tiredness out of my eyes and rolled out of bed. I pulled random clothes adorned with rhinestones out of the dresser and put them on. I had no intention doing anything whatsoever. I didn't plan to even wake up. Who would if your life was a nightmare and your dreams were the high life?

After my usual bathroom treatment, I went downstairs. Ryan was obviously awake, seeing the couch was empty and the blanket was neatly folded. He was probably in the bathroom or something, because the whole ground level was empty. Good. I didn't want another shouting match.

_Ding Dong_.

I frowned. Who could be visiting at this time? I reached for the doorknob and hesitated. What if it's Mother or Daddy? Truth be told, I didn't want to see _any_ of them at any time. Let the stay at whoever's house! I sighed and wrenched the door open.

Thank goodness. It wasn't Mother or Daddy. Instead, it was a cheerful Zeke holding a lunchbox.

"Good morning!" said Zeke. "I got you something for breakfast!"

"Thanks Zeke," I said. "Come in."

Zeke hopped in and opened the lunch box. Out came steaming cinnamon buns in a plate, right out of the oven. The cinnamon aroma soothed my thoughts, and I immediately forgot my problems. Well, most of them.

I nibbled one of them. The sweet icing intertwining with the cinnamon was just plain bliss.

"So how's it going?" asked Zeke politely.

I shrugged. I was bracing myself for Zeke to demand why I drove off suddenly, but luckily he didn't.

"Not much," I muttered, swallowing the mouthful of cinnamon rolls. We remained in an awkward silence. Zeke obviously figured out something's wrong.

"Is something…the matter?" asked Zeke tentatively. I shot a glare at him and he recoiled slightly.

"Why?" I demanded. Zeke fidgeted slightly.

"I don't want you to be upset or anything…" Zeke admitted. I stiffened slightly. He reminded me of Ryan.

I don't know what got to me. Maybe it was the cinnamon rolls. Maybe all this stress was building up, but I told him everything. Everything. I couldn't stop, all the words kept spewing out of my mouth like an uncontrollable waterfall.

And you know what shocked me the most? He listened. Zeke actually listened to everything. I'd expect a person who actually was a victim of my Ice Queen glare to pretend to listen and give me false sympathy. Zeke didn't do that at all.

At last, I felt somewhat content.

**So the chapter isn't the Ryan-centric chapter that you all wish to read. Don't worry, that'll be coming real soon! I can't exactly say it was my best (there wasn't any Ryan in it, so it can't be my best…) but I will guarantee satisfaction later in the story! Especially one **_**very**_** interesting chapter I will enjoy writing immensely…(shifty eyes).**

**I know, the chapter is somewhat cheesy...but we gotta love cheese! Like what Charlie Gordon says in Flowers for Algernon...the 'motor-vation' is the cheese! Hahahhaa...(grows crazier) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry guys, this chapter isn't my longest, but there's a tad of Ryan-torture in here...not as much as the other one I'm planning...but that's a different kind of Ryan-torture. See, I've already divided Ryan-torturing into categories...(shifty eyes)**

"Watch out! It's the Ice Queen!" I heard a tiny freshman whisper to her friend. I glowered at them and they were rooted to the spot as if frozen. I wasn't the Ice Queen for nothing.

I didn't talk to Ryan the whole morning. I wanted to so, so bad. But every time I opened my mouth, all the words bunched up in the middle of my throat and refused to come out. That snake was trying to keep me from apologizing, I bet.

_Don't blame a nonexistent snake, Sharpay_, I thought rashly to myself. _There's no such thing. The only thing that is keeping you from talking is yourself. You're the one to blame._

As much as I wished to deny it, I had to agree somewhat.

"Hey, Sharpay!" said Gabriella. I groaned as I slammed my pink locker shut. Why couldn't Miss Happy glow her little sunshine somewhere else? I felt like a storm cloud.

"What do you want?" I snapped. I noticed that even Troy came along.

"I was just…well, I'm sorry that your parents are divorcing," said Gabriella. I immediately gawked at Zeke, who was behind them.

"It kind of slipped out," apologized Zeke. He held out a plastic bag of cannoli. I brushed it aside.

"I don't need anyone's sympathy," I hissed. I marched to homeroom before any of them opened their mouths before remembering that all of the Wildcats were in my homeroom, meaning that there wasn't much point in ditching them near the lockers.

Shoot.

Ryan's in this homeroom too.

Sharpay Evans, you chose the worst spot to run off to.

"Does anyone have any decrees to send off to the office?" shrilled Mrs. Darbus. I rolled my eyes. Only Mrs. Darbus would say the word 'decrees'.

"I-I do, Mrs. Darbus," muttered Ryan. He pulled a cream-colored envelope out of his messenger bag. I stiffened. That was the letter explaining everything about him moving away because of the divorce. I suddenly had an urge to snatch the envelope away from his fingers and shred it into pieces.

I didn't. Obviously. Mrs. Darbus pranced over to Ryan and whipped the envelope away, nestling it into the attendance folder. Ryan shot a glance at me, but I refused to make eye contact with him.

It was hard to avoid my own brother for the morning. At lunchtime, Ryan scooted over to make some space for me. I began to walk over and claim the spot, but something pulled me away. Instead, I walked over to Zeke, who immediately made some room for me. For the rest of lunch, Ryan was unusually interested in his salad. He excused himself early and shot off, leaving the table awkwardly silent.

"So…is Ryan really moving to Ohio?" asked Gabriella. I stared down at the plate of pasta I had for lunch, suddenly losing my appetite. I nodded curtly. Gabriella sulked slightly until her whole faced perked with cheerfulness.

"I know!' she announced. Everyone but me leaned in to listen to Gabriella's sudden idea. "We should give him a surprise goodbye party! I mean, we can't just let him leave without giving him a proper farewell!"

The table contemplated. I just sat there, dumbstruck. I didn't even know why I was dumbstruck. Maybe it was because it was ruining 'my plan' of avoiding Ryan till he leaves.

"That's a pretty good idea," said Taylor slowly. "But we should have a small party with just us, not the whole East High student body. We know him the most."

"True," said Gabriella. "How about it, Sharpay? Sharpay?"

I just sat there. There wasn't any point in saying no, so I nodded. The table cheered and patted Gabriella on the back for making such a good idea. I remained stuck to the spot, wondering how their lives are so simple and sweet.

* * *

I laid on my bed, still not sure how to react. Part of me wants to avoid Ryan, but the other is yearning to keep the connection. Why did I want to do either of them? I didn't bother answering.

Mother and Daddy were still not back. They're obviously avoiding us so they won't have to feel my wrath. Smart choice.

I felt a scream caught up in my throat, but I swallowed it down. I didn't want to lose my temper.

Famous last words.

"Hi Sharpay," greeted Ryan as he entered the door. Before I knew it, my shoulder devil possessed me. I narrowed my eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be packing?" I hissed. The voice sounds like a stranger's, not mine. Ryan stopped and bit his lip, sighing.

"Sharpay, I don't exactly know what's going on but…but whatever it is, I don't think that acting cold is going to do any good."

_So you say,_ whispers the shoulder devil slyly. The shoulder angel was probably taking a permanent vacation.

"Oh, I don't think so," I drawled. "But you should get ready, shouldn't you? The sooner, the better." I reached towards a DVD case near my personal TV and pulled out a DVD. "Take your favorite movie, why don't you? _Titanic_," I spat and threw it at him. He fumbled and caught it. I marched up to my shelf. "And take this! This stupid photo album you made for me on our fifth birthday!" I chucked it at his feet. I could feel the fire within me crackle and burn. I breathed heavily, my own anger uncontrollable. "And...and what about this? That stupid diary you got me for Christmas!" I swept the purple satin diary off my desk.

Ryan was shaking, not knowing at all what to do. I didn't care. I grasped the nearest picture frame of us together and jerked the photo out. In a swift motion, I tore the photo in half and crumpled up the side with Ryan on it, hurling it at him.

"Augh! Why should I be doing this for you? Here—" I thrust my wastebasket into his arms. "Why don't you just put anything you gave me in here? That'll _just make my day_!" I whirled around and threw open the door, slamming it shut with an echoing bang behind me. I walked the first few steps and then I broke into a run, dashing out of the house, escaping the cell.

I suddenly collapsed into the grass of an unknown neighbor's lawn. I glanced back. My house was pretty far away. I rolled stomach and dug my face into the grass and screamed.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!" I cried. "You idiot! You bitch! You—you—AUGH!" I beat my fists onto the ground. "You done it again, Sharpay Evans! You just…you just did everything you can to be a terrible sister, didn't you?" I wiped tears off my face.

Why was my life so terrible? Scratch that, why was _I_ so terrible?

**Next chapter would probably be the chapter I am most looking forward to writing…MAYBE. For all I know, it could be the next-next chapter. We'll see…hopefully I would do it justice. Oh yes, I chose Ryan's favorite movie to be Titanic...because I love Titanic. Who doesn't?! And Titanic doesn't make people gay 'cause it's romantic!!! Okay, I'm sure you all know that, but I'm just saying...Titanic is awesome...and so is Leo DiCaprio...Hehehe.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here it is. Chapter 5. I'm thinking the story may be…oh, I don't know, eleven chapters at the most. It'll be a short story, but the chapters will be satisfyingly lengthy. Anyways, yes, the part I was eager to write is in here. Hopefully I've done it justice. This is a pretty long chapter, about six pages on Word. I think. **

**Just checked. Six to seven pages. Woot!**

"Something just doesn't seem right…" admitted Gabriella as she viewed the colorful banner that Chad and Troy were attempting to hang up on Troy's ceiling.

"What are you talking about?" moaned Troy. "You and Taylor have been complaining how it's too low, too high, too red, too small..."

"Well, this time, you're trying to hang the banner upside-down," Gabriella pointed out. Chad and Troy groaned and stumped down the ladder to fix their error.

"Aren't you going to help?" Chad shot at me as I sat cross-legged on the stool.

"Watching you dunderheads err is quite entertaining," I snapped. Chad glared at me and tried to hang the banner correctly again.

"No good," Taylor groaned. "Now you guys got it backwards!" Troy groaned and flipped it over.

"Augh! Now it's upside-down again!"

"Look, why don't you and Glitz Princess over there do this?" grumbled Chad. "Apparently girls are the ones with the accurate artistic taste!"

"Gladly," Taylor replied. "Come on, Sharpay."

I rolled my eyes and stood up, strutting to the ladder. Taylor glanced at my stiletto heels.

"You might not want to wear that." She pointed to my Miu Mius. "You might fall off the ladder."

I narrowed my eyes and kicked them off, stepping onto the ladder. I viewed the banner and nearly hurled. It read "We'll Miss You Ryan!" Was that it? Was that all they were going to say? Not "Good Luck!" or even a "WE LOVE YOU RYAN! DON'T FORGET TO VISIT US! WE'LL WRITE TO YOU EVERY DAY!" Not that it'll fit onto this banner anyways.

And why was it so colorful and bright? This wasn't at all a time for celebration of happiness at all! It was as if they were _glad_ Ryan was leaving! My fingers itched to tear the banner up into tiny shreds.

"Sharpay?" Taylor urged. I sighed and taped one end to the ceiling as Taylor did the same. Gabriella expressed her compliments as Troy and Chad exchanged confused glances.

"That was exactly how ours looked the first time, but you said that it was too high!" protested Troy.

"No, it's a lot different from yours," said Taylor. "Hey, did Jason and Kelsi come back with the food yet?"

"Nope," said Gabriella. "Still trying to get a cake. That's what they said last time I called them on their cell."

"All right then, let's review the plan," said Troy. "When we're all set, you, Sharpay," He pointed to me as I slipped back on my shoes. "will lead the target, aka Ryan, to Destination A, alias my house. Then—"

"We're not the Secret Service, Troy," said Taylor.

"Fine, fine. Sharpay will lead Ryan to our house claiming that she left something here and wants Ryan to keep her company—"

Quite the contrary, Bolton. If this was the real me, I'd make sure to steer clear from Ryan or else Mt. Sharpay would erupt again.

"—come into the house and surprise! There's the party. Now, any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. Troy nodded and then clapped his hands. "All right, people. We better put up the streamers. What's Ryan's favorite color, Sharpay?"

I shrugged. "Green."

"Green's a good color. Okay, we got green streamers and blue streamers, and I think blue's okay. It's cobalt blue."

"How do you know it's cobalt?" questioned Gabriella. Troy shrugged as Chad edged slowly away from Troy before receiving a good glare from him. Everyone immediately disbanded. Troy, Taylor, and Gabriella were assigned the streamers and I was unfortunate enough to have to be paired up with Chad to blow up the balloons. He tediously pumped endless amounts of helium into each bulbous balloon as I struggled to tie the ends.

_Pop_. Maybe today wasn't the best day to wear fake nails.

"Not another one!" moaned Chad. "You know how hard it is to fill these up?"

"Then trade jobs with me!" I snapped. Chad shrugged and handed the pump to me. I rolled my eyes and continuously push the handle up and down. Chad gaped at me.

"Since when were you strong?" I glared at him and Chad recoiled, returning to his balloon-tying.

"We're back!" announced Kelsi and Jason as they entered with bulky bags.

"Sweet! Food!" exclaimed Chad. Taylor kicked Chad on the back as she taped green streamers on the wall.

"This place looks awesome," Jason complimented as he placed two bulging bags onto the kitchen island.

"What did you buy? The whole supermarket?" asked Taylor as Gabriella handed her more tape.

"Oh, not much," shrugged Jason. "Just like, three pizzas, three Oreo Crème Pies, two bags of chips, two bottles of pop, a veggie tray…"

"That's a lot of food," laughed Gabriella.

"Not when you have four boys," Kelsi pointed out. "So, we'll just set the food up and then get Ryan, how about?"

Troy nodded. "Do you think we should cover the WHOLE ceiling with streamers, or just a normal, spaced-out criss-cross?"

"Criss-cross," said Gabriella. "Your ceilings pretty big."

"Gotcha," grinned Troy. Gabriella blushed slightly and hid her face behind the roll of tape. I felt the little monster in my chest hiss with disgust.

_Oh, shut up_, I urged it.

It took a while to put the streamers up, seeing that Chad accidentally threw the basketball up and it pulled down a lot of the paper streamers, but they got done in about thirty minutes. Setting up the food was easy, except Troy tried to sneak a bite out of the Oreo Cream Pie and mysteriously ended up spilling a cup of Coke on Gabriella's head (no complaint there). Otherwise, the Wildcats quickly sent me out to get the 'victim', aka Ryan, into the house.

I slowly drove my convertible through the streets. Surely I wouldn't start yelling at him in the car, right? It's only about ten minutes away. I should've borrowed some of Gabriella's tape and stick my mouth shut.

I slowly steered the car up the driveway and ambled up to our door. Climbing into the house and up the stairs, I came up to Ryan's bedroom door. I hesitated for a fraction of a second and knocked the door. Immediately Ryan opened up the door, dressed in white khaki pants and a black jacket with a red and white E on it. He still sported a white baseball cap with a red E on it.

"Hey, Sharpay," smiled Ryan. I frowned slightly. After this past week or so, he's still treating me kindly. I felt a healthy batch of guilt pang my heart.

"I, uh, I left my purse in Troy's house when I was…" Lying and acting were two different things. At least when you act, you had words someone else wrote for you to memorize. Lying meant you had to make something up right on the spot. "…when I was visiting Zeke, who was at Troy's house, and I left my purse there. Can you come help me get it?"

Ryan shrugged. "Sure. Come on."

This was a lot easier than I pictured it. I started to fear that Ryan already saw through my lies and figured everything out.

We drove back to Troy's house, which I noticed, the lights were off. Ryan seemed to have detect that too, because he frowned slightly. I grabbed his wrist and dragged him up the doorstep. Ryan rang the doorbell and the door flew open.

"SURPRISE!" Ryan literally jumped back a foot as the Wildcats popped out of the most random hiding places. I noted that Chad had just ducked in the middle of the floor and hid his head with his hands. Well, you can't expect much from Basketball Robots these days.

"Wait…what's going on?" asked Ryan quizzically.

"Surprise! This is your good-bye party!" laughed Gabriella, hugging Ryan (Troy sulking slightly in the background). Ryan widened his eyes and smiled, hugging Gabriella back.

"Thanks so much, guys!" he exclaimed. Kelsi immediately cranked up the music and everyone started to 'dance' (They were all trying to hug Ryan while bopping to the music at the same time). They laughed and occasionally sang, acting like little children in kindergarten.

I felt oddly alone. I couldn't hear the happy, upbeat music playing into my ears or the musical laughter. While everyone was so happy, so carefree, I felt like all the burdens of the world were on my shoulders. My heart was as heavy as a boulder and I felt like I was spreading a dark murky shadow of misery around the room. It was a nightmare, not a living moment.

_Do you know why you're feeling this? Do you know who's causing you this sorrow?_

**Don't you dare start**, I hissed to myself. **None of this is Ryan's fault. Ryan's completely innocent. **

_Oh really? But if this were any other party, bidding farewell to any other person, you would be happier, right?_

**That's different! Ryan's my brother! Anyone would feel bad!**

_Ryan is ruining your life. He's the one that makes your day feel like a nightmare. If he weren't alive or existed, your life would be bliss! _

**Don't say that**, I moaned in my head. **Don't say that, that's not true at all. **

"Come on, Sharpay, dance!" laughed Ryan, trying to pull me into the circle.

This was the moment I did the one thing I ever regretted.

"Don't touch me, Ryan!" I snapped. My ears were muffled, I couldn't hear the wretched words tumbling out of my mouth. "Get away from me!"

Ryan stared at me. "Sharpay…what's going on? I don't know what's going on, please tell me what's wrong!"

"What's wrong is you!" I screamed. Everyone stared fearfully at me, the pop music barely audible in the background. "You're the one that's making my life a hellhole! Do you know that? You're ruining everything!" I shoved him away from me. "It'll be so much better if you just _die_! Then my life won't be such a mess!"

Before anyone could react, I whisked out of the house, ignoring my car. I ran and ran and didn't even bother to look back, didn't bother to even think about anything. Everything around me was a multicolored blur as I sped through everywhere. I didn't even get over my shock until I was far from Troy's home. I was about already in the city of Albuquerque.

I staggered through the streets of the city, bawling. I hate myself! Hate myself, hate myself, hate myself! How could I tell him to go die? I would never, ever say that to anyone, not even to Gabriella or Chad. I leaned against a brick wall, wiping my tears away without avail. Why couldn't I have spotted this before I went off and started yelling at him? I tottered into an alley and rested my head on the cold brick, gasping for breath between sobs. I spotted my reflection in a cracked mirror in the trashcan. My reflection was horrid, ugly, terrible, _evil_.

"Aw, look, boys, a miserable girl in the lonely streets of Albuquerque." The slurred voice suddenly perked me up. I slowly turned. The alley and street I was in were empty, right? No, four shadowy figures started to creep their way towards me.

"What's wrong, honey?" cackled one of the men, clutching my arms. I yelped and struggled to tear myself free, but he pinned me to the wall. "Tell Jay, he'll help you…"

"Get away from me, you freak!" I screamed, kicking him in his groin. Jay flinched and clutched my wrists tighter.

"You better stay put, Missy," he breathed in my ear. "Just stay calm, nothing wrong will happen to you." His eyes lingered to my designer skirt.

"You better let me go or I'll get my daddy to get you!" I threatened. Jay smirked.

"Look what we have here, boys," giggled Jay. "A poor little rich girl. My favorite…" His stubby fingers inched towards my skirt.

"Get away from her." I whirled around to see Ryan in the mouth of the alley.

"Ryan!" I screamed. Jay narrowed his eyes and threw me to two of his men. The boys clutched my arms and shoved me against the wall.

"You let her go," Ryan hissed.

"Oh, I'll let her go," Jay snickered. "After I'm done with her." Before I knew it, He gave a rough tug on my skirt. I screamed as his hands groped for me.

A fist came flying out of nowhere and Jay was thrown back. Ryan had punched him in the jaw before Jay could do anything. Jay breathed heavily and got back on his feet, clutching his now bruised jaw. He then jerked to the other man and the two still holding me. Suddenly, I was thrown to the spare guy as the two burly guards grasped Ryan's arms. Ryan struggled and kicked the men, but they wouldn't budge.

"No one gets away with laying a finger on Jay," Jay hissed. Ryan glared at Jay, but was helpless. Jay suddenly started to punch Ryan in the face, the chest, everywhere. I screamed for him to stop as the monster beat my brother, my hero, with all his strength. Ryan yelled in pain as blow after blow came raining down on his body.

"Stop it!" I squealed. "Stop it! Please!"

Jay ignored me and kept striking Ryan as he struggled to escape. His East High hat came flying out and Jay took the chance and started to beat his head. Ryan seethed in pain but refused to scream.

"The little runt won't scream. Well, this ought to give you some 'umph'!" Jay yelled. He clawed and beat Ryan until blood dotted his face and shirt. He shoved Ryan onto the wall and dug his hand into his sweatshirt pocket, pulling out a black gun. A price tag still was hanging off of the handle. He shoved the gun brutally on Ryan's forehead. I immediately stopped screaming.

"I knew that'll stop the stupid squealing," Jay growled. "Now, missy, we're going to have a trade. If you don't willingly do what I want you to do, this little bag of muck's going to have his brains blown out. Just nod or shake your head…you want me to let this little freak free and you'll be all mine?"

"Don't do it, Shar!" yelled Ryan. Jay punched him in the guts and Ryan doubled over in pain, groaning.

I was shuddering like mad. What was I supposed to do? Let Jay rape me? Yes. I have to. I don't want Ryan killed, no matter what I said back at Troy's house. My vision blurred with tears. Slowly, I nodded my head.

"NO!" shouted Ryan. Jay grinned and stuffed the gun back into his sweatshirt pocket. He suddenly threw Ryan onto the ground. Anxiety flooded into my whole body.

"Wait!" I screamed. "Let him free! That's part of the bargain!"

"What bargain?" giggled Jay. "I said I would let the idiot live, but that doesn't mean I can't hurt him a little more." He then started to viciously kick Ryan with all his might. Ryan gasped in pain as Jay punted his ribs. A sickening crack echoed in the air.

"Please stop!" I begged, hanging limply on the guy who was still trapping me. "Please! Just let him go!"

"Johnson, get the little vixen ready for me," Jay ordered as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, the two other brawny men started to kick Ryan like a soccer ball. Ryan hissed in pain but refused to utter a yell.

"You 'eard what the boss said," laughed Johnson as he started to yank my halter top. "Time t' get you ready…"

I squeezed my eyes tight, preparing for my shirt to whip off. It didn't. Instead, Johnson was suddenly pushed back and slamming against the brick wall and passed out. Ryan miraculously scrambled out of the three guys' kicking and shoved Johnson away. I quickly fumbled and pulled back on my skirt.

"Get out of here, Shar!" yelled Ryan as the other guys threw violent punches at him. "Get out of here!"

I heard a shatter, a bang, and a scream, but otherwise, I had no idea what happened. I was in complete darkness.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes. I wasn't in that wretched alleyway anymore. No, I was in a cold and unfamiliar white bed. I groaned, my head pounding. It took me a while to recollect my thoughts. Was I dreaming?

"Ryan!" I gasped, sitting upright. I was immediately shoved back onto my pillow. It was then that I saw a curly redhead nurse and Ryan standing near my bedside.

"Ryan!" I wheezed. Ryan was smiling weirdly and his eyes were glazed. "Ryan! What happened? Are you okay? You were beat—"

"I'm fine, Shar," Ryan interrupted, his voice somewhat strained.

"How—how'd you escape?"

Ryan hesitated for a second, and then answered. "They just ran away when a police came around."

"How long have I been out?"

"Not too long. You woke up right when you got on the bed."

"You've gone through a terrible ordeal, miss," said the nurse. "I advise you to get a rest. I have to go to another room, so if you need me, please don't hesitate and call for me." With that, she left the room. I had a distinct feeling she left to leave Ryan and me some time alone.

"Ryan! How…what…?"

"You were knocked down by some bloke and hit your head on the ground," answered Ryan. It was then I noticed him clutching his black jacket to his stomach. "I had to get you out of here. Mind you, I didn't tell the doctors about the men. Just said that you tripped."

I frowned. Why wasn't he looking at me in the eye? Ryan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

"A-are you okay?" I asked fearfully. "You were beaten to death, practically! You need help."

"Nothing can help bruises too much," Ryan muttered. I tentatively reached for his arm, accidentally touching a bad bruise. Ryan flinched slightly.

"Ryan, you're hurt," I said, my voice high.

"It could be worse," Ryan said, clutching his jacket tighter.

"What's wrong, Ryan?" I demanded.

"Nothing is, Shar." Now I knew why his smile was weird at first. There was a shadow of a pained grimace. My eyes flickered at the jacket bundled up to his stomach and feared the worst.

"Why are you holding your jacket like that, Ryan?" I said, tugging at his wrist. He wouldn't budge.

"No reason, Shar. Stop it!" pleaded Ryan, his voice shaky.

Something was wrong. Whether it was my twin telepathy, my woman's intuition, or just plain common sense, I knew Ryan was lying to me about a lot of things. I bit my lip.

_Sorry, Ryan,_ I thought._ But it's time I used my acting skills for the greater good_.

Quickly, I collapsed in 'pain' and clutched my head, moaning. Ryan gasped and hurried to my aid. As he approached, I immediately wrenched his hand and jacket away and gaped.

His jacket and his shirt were drenched in dark blood. A large, jagged shard of glace was stabbed into his stomach and a bleeding wound from a bullet dampened his shirt with scarlet. I stared in shock as Ryan quivered, his eyes now unfocused and glossy.

"Ryan…" I whispered. Ryan's breathing was now weak and shaky as he struggled for breath. Suddenly, he threw up blood onto my hospital gown. I gasped as he shuddered and crumpled to the ground unconscious.

"Ryan!" I screamed as I caught Ryan before he fell. I dropped to the ground. Ryan's face was so pale that snow would appear gray. He was lifeless in my arms. I screamed again. "Wake up! Ryan, wake up!" Ryan's eyes wouldn't open. I screamed and clutched his unmoving body closer.

"Someone help me! Please! Help! Help!" I pleaded at the top of my lungs. "Ryan, please wake up! Please, I'm begging you! Don't die!" I clutched his limp hand that wouldn't squeeze back. "Please Ryan! I didn't mean anything I said to you at the party! I'm sorry, please wake up! Don't scare me like this! SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!"

I felt tears topple down and dot Ryan's face like rain.

Ryan wasn't breathing.

**Violence and blood makes the story go round. If you're like me, then you would have had a satisfying heartthrob and a squirm of delight. If you're not…then I hope you like cliffhangers. And Ryan. If you guys are wondering why I made him throw up blood, I've been living my entire life watching Ancient Chinese martial arts TV shows in which the characters would sexily (is that a word? Microsoft says it is) throw up more blood than their bodies should have inside them. So…yeah. I kind of grew accustomed to like it. I was kind of thinking about Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet the movie (With…Leo…DiCaprio…) in which he got stabbed by glass. Unfortunately, Mercutio died in both Shakespeare's version and the movie, so will that be the case of Ryan Evans?! Knowing myself, anything can happen and I can be thoroughly satisfied (cheesy grin).**

**If any of you don't get it, the shattering Sharpay heard was Jay breaking the mirror she saw before, then he stabbed Ryan. The banging was the gun. For any of you who are confused through and through. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I think that by the time all of you read my review replies I sent to you, you're thoroughly confused and convinced that I may kill of Ryan. Oh, and to all the Lucas-fans reading this…we can say that black hair is the new blond. Bwah, it looks good on him. (wink wink) **

My whole world has ended, and it was entirely my fault.

I felt my voice scream, but I couldn't hear my words. My eyes blurred with tears but I couldn't feel them running down my face. It was if I were already dead, cradling Ryan's limp form in my arms.

Why wasn't anyone coming?

I kept screaming for help, screaming for a single spark of hope. Please, somebody come, somebody help Ryan.

He can't die. He just can't.

Finally, the door flew open. The curly-haired nurse gaped at the scene and screamed for the doctors. They flew in before a millisecond and gently lifted Ryan onto a stretcher. I gripped his hand tightly, refusing to let go. I saw the doctor's mouth move, but I couldn't hear their words. I let go of Ryan's hand, and they rushed him away.

I collapsed onto the hard ground, screaming and sobbing.

I killed Ryan.

If I didn't run off like that, I wouldn't have gotten Ryan into this trouble. I was being an idiot, a moron, a terrible person and now my brother is hovering between the thin line of life and death. I clutched the drenched blood on my hospital attire, my fingers now dyed with Ryan's blood. Ryan's blood. The blood that I helped spill.

"Dear God," I whispered. "Please don't take Ryan away from me. I don't know if You will listen to me, and I understand. I was such a terrible person, but I'm begging You, please don't let Ryan die, he didn't do anything wrong. Please let him live, punish me instead."

I don't know how long I lay on the hard, cold floor. It took an eternity for me to finally crawl up onto unsteady feet. I had to call someone, to tell someone, to cry on someone. I couldn't take this alone. I glanced down at my hospital gown, which was soaked in Ryan's blood. I glanced around for any spare clothes, but I couldn't find them. I tentatively a spare towel on a nearby counter and pressed it against my chest, hiding the bloodstain. Breathing heavily, I raced out of the room, through the winding corridors, looking desperately for any payphone or anyone with a cell phone. I clambered into an elevator and jabbed the 'ground floor' button. As the doors slowly closed, I slid to the ground, shaking uncontrollably.

Why couldn't the hospital notice Ryan's injuries? The answer hit me before I could even finish asking the question to myself. Of course, they would pay more attention to the unconscious girl in his arms without realizing that he was bleeding to death. Me again. If I wasn't hurt, they could've helped Ryan quicker.

_Ryan's a survivor_, I assured myself. _He'll live. He'll survive_.

But if he didn't, it's all my fault.

The doors finally opened and I rushed out, searching for any phone. Ah! A pay phone! I rushed over to it until I realized I had no money.

I groaned and slumped onto a nearby bench. I couldn't call anyone with a payphone because I had no money, I couldn't use a cell phone because I left the stupid thing in my house, and now Ryan might die. I buried my head into my hands, crying.

"Excuse me, miss?" I slowly looked up, my face streaked with tears. An elderly gentleman stood before me "Do you need to call someone?"

I nodded. He dug his hand into his wallet and pulled out a quarter, beckoning me to accept it. I hesitated and took it out of his hands. He nodded and smiled and whisked away before I could thank him.

I quickly shoved the quarter into the slot, wondering why there weren't more people like him in the world. Cranking the machine, I quickly dialed Zeke's phone number. I didn't want to call Mother or Daddy. They were the ones who helped start this nightmare.

_Pick up, pick up, pick up!_ I begged as the monotone ring tone rang. _Please, please, please—_

"Hello?"

"Zeke!" I yelled.

"Sharpay?" his voice asked incredulously. "Where are you? Wait, hold on—I'm going to put this on speaker, the others want to talk to you."

I gulped. After my little outburst back at the party, I don't think I'd be welcomed with open arms.

"Okay, done," announced Zeke.

"Zeke, I really need your help—" I was rudely interrupted by an earsplitting scream.

"SHARPAY EVANS!" screamed Taylor's voice. "Do you know how terrible and cruel you are? Saying that to your own brother, even when he went after you to comfort you! You are the worst—"

"Taylor, let her speak, she sounds urgent!" said Gabriella. I felt a lump in my throat swell as Taylor spoke those words. I knew I deserved every syllable.

"What's wrong, Sharpay? Where are you calling? The caller ID isn't on my phonebook," said Zeke. I swallowed.

"Can you meet me in the Albuquerque General Hospital?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Wait, why? Why the hospital? Sharpay, what's going on—?"

"Will you?" I pleaded. Zeke hesitated for a moment.

"Okay. We'll be there as fast as we can. But can you please tell me what happened? And where's Ryan?"

The name Ryan brought more tears spewing out of my eyes. "I'll explain later, just hurry up and come!"

After Zeke assured he would arrive, I slammed the phone back onto the receiver, wiping my tears away with the towel covering the bloodstain. I begged him to hurry. Every minute—no, every _second_ meant that Ryan was closer to death. I felt so scared, so lost, so helpless.

The Wildcats immediately burst through the heavy glass doors. I quickly hurried them, tripping over my own feet.

"Sharpay!" cried Troy. "What's going on? Why are you wearing a hospital gown?" He gaped when I accidentally let my towel slip from the bloodstain. "I-Is that _blood_?"

"Come," I said, my voice cracking. They hastily followed me to the elevators. I didn't want to talk in the open. As the doors closed, I quickly turned to them. I felt tears bubble in my eyes again.

"Ryan's dying," I choked out. Taylor gasped and Gabriella almost collapsed.

"What?" said Kelsi, positively dumbstruck. "What happened? Please tell us, Sharpay."

I hugged the towel closer to me and explained everything after the part where I ran off. The Wildcats listened anxiously, their faces pale and etched with worry. I finally ended with how Ryan suddenly collapsed and was rushed to help and my voice trailed away to nothingness.

"It's all my fault," I wailed. "If I wasn't such a stupid dunderhead and didn't run off like that, or—or yell at Ryan like that, this never would've happened. Now he's going to die."

"Ryan won't die, Sharpay," Troy said. "He's a survivor."

I didn't say anything. I didn't even know what to do now. I didn't want to go home at all. I wanted to stay here and wait for any news of Ryan.

"Do you think we can stay here overnight?" Kelsi read my mind.

"I'm not sure," said Chad. "I don't exactly think they have prepared guestrooms and I doubt we'll be able to stay with Ryan."

"How about we all stay at my house?" suggested Troy. "We can stick together, okay?"

I nodded. I didn't want to face this alone.

**Short chapter…but…I dunno…**

**(singing)**

**Think I got A Writer's Block From the Language Arts Basking…**

**SADIE HAWKINS DANCE! IN MY KHAKI PANTS! NOTHING BETTER!**

**OH OH OH! **

**Okay, away from my happy mood. **


	7. Chapter 7

I stared at the clock in Troy's living room, my eyes following the seconds ticking away. The clock was the only thing I could hear, my ears straining for any ringing of a phone. Before we left, we asked the hospital to call Troy's home if anything were to happen to Ryan. So far, nothing.

I choked back a sob, leaning on the leather couch. Gabriella wrapped her arms around me, and I didn't pull away.

"It'll be okay," she whispered. I didn't answer. Those were empty comforts. Anything could happen. He could live, or he could die. I felt so scared I could feel my bones rattling inside me.

I glanced outside. The sky was different hues of black and blue, the bright stars and pearly moon obscured by the menacing clouds. It was so dark outside, like it was inside me.

My eyelids started to droop. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and glanced around. Chad and Kelsi had given up and were fast asleep on the fluffy carpet. Jason was hanging over the edge of the couch, absentmindedly tracing his finger on the leather couch's texture. Troy was curled up under the glass coffee table, his eyes darting occasionally at the clock or the phone. Gabriella was now asleep, and Taylor was laying on the arm chair, fighting sleep.

My eyelids felt like heavy stones, and no matter how much I fought it, I fell asleep.

* * *

I blearily opened my eyes. I was lying on the carpet, face-to-face with a bookshelf. My eyes begged for more sleep, but I ignored it and sat up. The clock glared six thirty-seven in the morning. I groaned and peered at the phone's answering machine. No messages. I felt a lump in my throat and lied back on the carpet. There was nothing to do but wait. Wait for an answer to my prayer, wait for news of Ryan, wait for a miracle that might never come. I peeked out the window. It was foggy outside; as if the world was drained from it's vibrant colors and left a bland, colorless Earth. I felt trapped and suffocated in this fog, as if it was choking the air and hopes out of my body.

My stomach grumbled. I sighed. Hopefully Troy won't mind if I ate _something_…I headed to the kitchen with a small blanket wrapped around my shoulders. The food that Jason and Kelsi bought last night weren't touched yet, so I tentatively pulled out a cold piece of pepperoni pizza and nibbled it. Hunger moaned for more, and I gobbled it down in four bites. I stared at the Oreo Cream Pies left on the counter. They always said desserts helped in a sticky situation. Without thinking twice, I rushed to the container and pulled out a slice of Oreo Cream Pie. Soft Oreo crumbs made the crust with fluffy whipped cream topped with Oreo crumbles beckoned me. It quickly disappeared.

Suddenly a bringing noise blared from the living room. I gasped and dropped the second piece of Oreo Cream Pie I was eating and rushed to the phone. Everyone else stirred and jolted awake as I swiped the phone out of the receiver. It had to be the hospital. Who else would call at this hour?

"Hello?" I answered, my voice rushed with anxiety.

"Good morning, this is the Albuquerque General Hospital. We apologize for calling at such an hour but—"

"Do you have news about Ryan?" I interrupted them. I couldn't wait much longer. I needed to know now.

"Yes, in fact, we do," replied the professional voice. I held my breath and waited for them to proceed.

"Is he going to survive?" I whispered. I heard a hesitation on the other line and I felt as if my whole world already crumbled into nothingness.

"We lost him a couple of times," admitted the nurse. I stumbled back, balancing myself by clutching a nearby armrest of a chair.

"Lost? You…you mean, he _died_? More than once?"

"In a sense. But he's alive now. He lost a lot of blood though, and we need a—"

"Can we visit him now?" I demanded, interrupting the nurse in mid-sentence.

"It's not recommended but—"

I slammed the phone down into the receiver. I didn't care even if he was under a painful surgery at the moment. I had to see him before it could be too late.

"Ryan's alive!" I screamed. Everyone gasped and hugged each other tightly, moaning with happiness. I felt the icy coldness in myself slightly melt. Slightly. What if he suddenly died before we could visit him? What if we were one second too late and he died, waiting for us to come, waiting to see us one last time? The fear wrung my heart so tightly it hurt.

"Let's go!" I yelled, smoothing out my wrinkled clothes. Before we left, I managed to get my old clothes back, though there was some blood on my jacket. "Please, guys, I don't want to wait too long and—and Ryan's condition could change!"

"Let's go," said Chad. "Come on guys."

Everyone rushed into Troy's cramped mini van. Troy squeezed his way into the driver's seat and revved the engine. Like a bullet, the van shot through the road. I found myself clutching my seatbelt, the speed rapidly building up.

"Are you sure you're not breaking the speed limit?" I asked.

"I don't know," Troy admitted. "But at the moment, I don't really care!"

We arrived at the hospital in twenty-two minutes. I burst out of the car and scampered to the entrance as fast as my feet could take me, ignoring the Wildcats' protests. Was I too late? What if we were? I asked Troy to slow down ten minutes ago, and Ryan could've died at that time. I ran faster, anxiety flooding my entire mind.

_Dear God,_ I prayed. _Please let Ryan live. Please give him a second chance. I'm begging You, don't let him die now._

I threw the glass doors open and stumbled towards the check-in desk.

"Ryan Evans?" I asked. "Can we see him?" By then, the rest of the Wildcats bumbled in.

"Ryan Evans?" repeated the nurse. She scanned her computer screen. "He's in room two-hundred and eighty-seven, but I'm afraid you can't—"

We all ignored her and rushed towards the elevators. The nurse called for us to come back, but we didn't care. We squeezed all eight of us in the tiny elevator and punched in level two.

"He's going to be all right," I whispered to myself, pressing my forehead against the cool metal wall. "Ryan's going to survive, you're right on time, he's alive right now…"

I had no idea how I would survive if I lost Ryan. If I killed Ryan. To wake up every day knowing that he was gone and that it was because of me. I felt it suddenly hard to breath. I was so, so scared. I didn't want to lose Ryan.

It took precious seconds for the doors to open and we all struggled our way out of the elevators and dart through the hall, Gabriella reading out every door number.

"Two-hundred seventy-two, two-hundred seventy-three…"

I quickened my pace. Time was precious to me, I couldn't waste it. I soon found myself sprinting as the numbers on the door soon dissolved into a thin black line.

"Two-hundred eighty-five, two-hundred eighty-six, two-hundred eighty-seven!" exclaimed Gabriella. I quickly grasped the doorknob and turned it.

It was locked.

I cursed so loudly all the bypassing nurses and doctors stared at me. I slammed my fist onto the door, moaning.

"Please, can't someone let us in?" Gabriella begged on of the doctors. He frowned at us.

"That patient in there is under a serious medical condition, it is unadvisable for you to—"

"Oh, save the lecturing for some doctor's convention, will you?" I snapped. "Just let—us—through—the—stupid—door for Pete's sake!"

"Please don't raise your voice, young lady, there are many people who need quiet—"

Troy suddenly dug his hand into one of the doctor's pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. The doctor yelled and lunged for them, but Troy started to shove every key into the keyhole. None of them were working.

"Please sir, we really, really need to see this person!" Kelsi begged as Chad restrained the doctor. Nurses were quickly calling for security as Troy desperately tried out the other keys. "No—please don't fight—we're begging you!"

"Here!" whooped Troy as he wrenched the door open. Everyone poured inside and Troy quickly slammed the door into the doctor's face, promptly locking it. Loud banging was heard.

Ryan was lying limply on the white bed, his skin so pale it would've blended into the sheets. The heart monitor beeped monotonously, the zig-zags faint. My breathing started to grow shaky as I saw the many tubes all over his arms and chest. I swallowed, the lump in my throat swelling. Slowly, I reached out and fingered his white hand. It was still lukewarm, but it seemed a chill was creeping its way through.

If I lived in a sappy soap opera, this would be Ryan's cue to suddenly wake up and assure me everything was fine. But I didn't live in one, and Ryan was still unconscious. I couldn't hear the banging and the yelling from outside the door, only the faint beeping of the heart monitor. It was so soft, so weak; it made my own heart freeze in unease.

Gabriella, Kelsi and Taylor also rushed to Ryan's side. Gabriella pecked his pale cheek as Troy miserably sulked. I didn't say anything; I just sat down on a nearby chair and grasped Ryan's hand tightly.

Troy also noticed the heart monitor, because his eyes were lingering on the barely moving green line. I glanced at the machines that Ryan was hooked up onto. His entire life depended on these machines, and it made me scared. What if the machines broke down or didn't work? What if it was too late to save him?

"OPEN UP!" yelled a rough voice outside. Everyone jumped a foot high. We forgot that there was an angry mob outside. "Come out now or we'll break this door down!"

"Please, sir, there's a terribly injured patient in here," a nurse attempted to point out. "Loud sounds wouldn't help him—"

"We've got intruders trying to break in the hospital and disturb a patient, we won't let them go easily," said the security guard.

Everyone glanced fearfully at each other. I wasn't too keen on letting someone break open Ryan's door, so I rushed to open the door. Defeated, the others followed in suit ad Troy nervously unlocked the door.

I expected handcuffs snapping onto our wrists and husky men shoving us into damp cells smothered with mildew, but luckily, that wasn't the case. The husky men part, unfortunately, was. They grasped our arms and pulled us into the elevator. Worry bubbled in my brain. What if we're banned from the hospital? What if they won't let us see Ryan anymore? I felt dizzy with fright.

**So...Ryan technically shows up in this chapter, though he isn't conscious. I would've done something based on one of my sister's stories and half of real life experiment, but I changed my mind. You should be happy, it would've been pretty dismal. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey people! I have made my first Youtube movie! I'd really appreciate it if you watched/ commented it! My account is MissAnnaBanana. It's related to Harry Potter. Bwahahaha.**

We were suddenly shoved into a capacious office, dimly lit with bright lights, the windows blinded. A handsome doctor with wavy sandy blond hair sat at the desk rummaging through paperwork. He looked only in his early twenties or even his late teens, his sandy hair brushed boyishly over one of his eyes. I felt myself shivering, not sure if he was going to throw us into the pits of doom…or jail. I glanced at the bronze nameplate on his desk. It read "Jack Conners."

I felt his pale green eyes linger at the dark bloodstain on my jacket and quickly slid it out of view. There could be awkward questions.

"What seems to be the matter, Mr. Dearman?" Dr. Conners inquired.

The security guards shoved us forward. I gulped. What was this man going to do with us? Kick us out to the streets? Kill Ryan just to discipline us?

"These kids stole keys from Dr. Dean and trespassed into a patient's room, which was locked for health reasons," said Mr. Dearman in a gruff voice. Dr. Conners raised an eyebrow.

"Mr. Drackmire," Dr. Conners nodded towards the other bodyguard that tagged along when we headed to this office. "Do you concur?"

"Wha'?" questioned Mr. Drackmire. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. This security guard was pretty thick.

"Do you concur that these things happened?"

"Well, tha's wha' Dean sai'…" muttered Mr. Drackmire.

"So do you concur?"

Drackmire was obviously confused. I wasn't exactly sure where this doctor was going.

"You may return to your original posts," drawled Dr. Conners. The security guards blundered out. I distinctly heard Drackmire mutter, "I blew it, din't I? Why din't I concur…?" I frowned at Dr. Conners, who grinned childishly.

"Confusing the dunderheads helps me buy time. Now would you enlighten me of what really happened?"

We hesitated. Here was this 'doctor' who was probably no older than we are demanding what the heck was going on. There was no point in lying, so Troy explained everything. Dr. Conners listened patiently, his face unreadable.

"Why were we brought here, anyways?" asked Chad.

"The security guards think that since I'm a doctor of a higher status, I have the permission to ban you from here, which won't be the case. I don't have the power to, actually. And am I allowed to ask why you have blood on your jacket?" inquired Dr. Conners, nodding to my top. My hand automatically brushed the crusty stain on my designer jacket.

"An accident," I plainly said. Dr. Conners said nothing, only rummaging through his cream-colored folder until he pulled out a packet.

"Mr. Evans has lost a large amount of blood due to this 'accident.'" Dr. Conners said, ignoring the questioning bloodstain. "He'll need a blood donor, and fast—"

"I'll do it," I automatically replied. Dr. Conners raised an eyebrow. "I'm related to him. My blood would be similar, wouldn't it?"

"Donating blood would be risky for such a young age," answered Dr. Conners. "You'll have to control your diet and prepare yourself for weakness. Are you positively sure you want to do this?"

"Of course I do!" I argued. "And I don't want some other stranger giving blood who give Ryan AIDS or something like that."

Dr. Conners hesitated, and then pulled out a crisp sheet of paper, sliding it towards me. I picked it up. It was like a questionnaire, asking me questions about my health and where I lived.

"You'll have to fill it out," said Dr. Conners, typing vigorously on his computer. "And then you'll have to make an appointment so we can test your blood for any diseases. The earliest time we have is this Wednesday, April 11th, at 1:00 PM. Is that time free?"

"Anytime is free for me," I replied. Wednesday was in two days, and Ryan could be dead by then. Luckily, it was spring break (it just started, which was why we were at school earlier) and I didn't have some stupid schooling to go to. "Can I fill this sheet out now?"

Dr. Conners nodded. I whipped out a pen and glanced at the questions. Troy then suddenly brought a point up.

"Dr. Conners, I don't know how this hospital works, but however it does, it sucks," Troy said. Dr. Conners cocked his head slightly.

"May I ask how?"

"Well, they don't find out that a guy's bleeding half to death when he walks right into the hospital, they start banging the doors of a patient's room and then blame _us_ for disrupting them, they just stand there yelling at us to come out and not even bother to get security earlier, and you, their head doctor, is what, seventeen?"

Dr. Conners smiled.

"I can't deny that this hospital seems to be inefficient, though I must say it isn't everyday we have a band of teenagers bust into a room. The doctors and nurses in the hallway overreacting, yes, but I have no power over this hospital." He stood up from his swivel chair, picking up a phone and dialing a number. "I can't deny either that I am a doctor with more authority, but I have no say whatsoever on the goings of this place. And as for the age, I'm nineteen."

Troy's eyebrows were neatly hidden under his hair, exchanging aghast glances with Chad, who mouthed 'Nineteen?' I returned to the paper and read the questions:

What country are you from? 

_How long have you lived there?_

_Age?_

_Weight?_

_Current health?_

_Have you gone into international travel?_

_Did you ever do drugs, drink alcohol, or get a permanent tattoo?_

_What is your sexual history?_

I gaped at the last question. The memories of that bloke Jay and his thugs came rushing to me like a rhino stampede. Pushing the thought away, I started to answer the first few questions. The other Wildcats just watched either me or Dr. Conners making a phone call. He spoke quietly, so we couldn't hear. The voice on the other end sounded frustrated and livid, the angry words spewing out of the phone like an overflowing cup. The voice seemed to calm down, however, when Dr. Conners whispered inaudible sentences into the speaker end. Appearing satisfied, he set the phone down.

"What was that all about?" asked Chad as I handed back the paper. Dr. Conner's green eyes scanned the paper quickly and placed it neatly into a separate folder.

"Dr. Dean finds that it should be necessary that you all should be banned from the hospital," Dr. Conners replied calmly. "However, I managed to point out a few key details that argued otherwise. You even have the permission to visit your Ryan Evans unless he's going through a surgery of some sort, and direct contact such as hugging would be temporarily prohibited. But you will start again with a clean slate here."

Troy scrutinized the doctor, his eyebrows furrowing. "Are you really just nineteen?"

Dr. Conners smiled.

(CATCH ME IF YOU CAN)

"I wish I could get to the hospital quicker," I moaned, laying my head on Zeke's shoulder. It was Thursday and all the Wildcats were in my living room. Mother and Daddy weren't back yet, obviously still 'shaken' from the 'past events'. I preferred it that way. I didn't need any more of them.

"Everything will be fine, Sharpay," assured Kelsi.

"Ryan could die by now!" I screeched, clutching my face. "He could, oh, I don't know, what if we're too late? And as we already found out, the Albuquerque General Hospital isn't the trustworthiest of all hospitals out there!"

"Calm down, Sharpay," said Jason. "Even if the Albuquerque General Hospital isn't as good as St. Jude's or anywhere else, it's still a professional hospital that's going to do their best to help Ryan!"

"They weren't doing a good job when he came to the hospital bleeding to death!" I snapped, chomping on some chocolate lava cake. Whoever invented chocolate deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, considering it took half of my anxiousness away. "I just hope I don't have some unknown disease and I can't donate blood. Otherwise, Ryan will probably have to wait a lot longer."

(LEONARDO DICAPRIO)

It was a Friday, April 13th. I had my blood test earlier this week, and I was able to donate blood. Dr. Conners told me to eat foods with iron in it, drink lots of fluids, and remember not to eat fatty foods before the donation.

Troy offered to drive all of us to the hospital. As usual, he was speeding and ignoring the stop signs, but this time I was wishing he'd slow down. I wasn't very eager to get stuck by a needle. Rain poured down onto the car, blinding the windshield with a glossy sheen of water. I felt as if I lived in a blurry world inside a marble. Troy skid the car to a stop at the parking lot and we rushed through the rain to the hospital, the cold and clammy rain streaming down my hair and face. We quickly rushed into the waiting room, five minutes before I had to donate my blood.

It was quiet in the room, only about three people, not including the Wildcats and me. I leaned on the hard chair as Chad flipped through random magazines and Taylor eyeing the different health posters plastered all over the stark white walls. The clock in the waiting room stroked exactly 12: 59 PM. I was supposed to start donating my blood at 1:00 PM.

Even though this was for Ryan, I could still feel absolutely nervous. I never gave blood before, and I was so glad that I was helping Ryan survive, but I still felt scared. What if something goes wrong? What if Ryan or I suddenly receive a terrible disease? What if I lost too much blood or gave Ryan too little? All these questions rushed through my mind, and I didn't notice that I was shaking and clutching tightly on Troy's arm, my nails piercing into his skin. Troy yelped in pain and I quickly released his arm.

"Sorry," I muttered. All the Wildcats came, which surprised me, seeing I was usually cold towards them. I felt so grateful for having the best friends in the world.

"Hey Sharpay, I brought some of your favorite turkey sandwiches and—and your favorite strawberry shortcakes, and some fruits…Dr. Conners said I was allowed to bring some food to eat after the blood donation as long as it had some iron in it and—"

The minute hand of the clock suddenly hit 1:00 PM. My stomach clenched in fear and nervousness, my heart beating like sixty. Immediately the teak doors flew open and Dr. Conners stepped out, his white lab coat whishing behind him.

"Hello, Miss Evans, step this way please," he smiled. I glanced apprehensively at the Wildcats, who assured me I'd be all right and to go on. I quickly stood up on shaky legs and wobbled my way into the room.

It was a clean, professional-looking room, with different machines and gadgets all over the place. Dr. Conners instructed me to lie down on the cushioned sofa. I did, my eyes darting around.

"There's no need to be afraid, now," he comforted me. He rubbed alcohol pads on my inner elbow. "Now, how's school lately?"

He was trying to strike a casual conversation so I wouldn't feel as much pain. I wasn't sure if that could help my case.

"Okay," I muttered. I eyed the large needle on the nearby table, which Dr. Conners quickly moved out of sight.

"Now, look away, will you?" he said. I quickly closed my eyes. "There, you're a doll. Now…where's my needle…"

I knew he said that so I wouldn't expect a blow, but it didn't work too well. A sharp pain shot through my arm and I cried out, clenching my teeth tightly.

"Shh, shh, it's all right," he hushed soothingly. "It's okay. See? That wasn't so bad. The pain was gone before it began."

I wasn't sure what he was doing now, and I didn't want to know. I kept my eyes shut, biting down on my lip.

_This is for Ryan_, I thought to myself over and over again. _I'm going to save Ryan, I'm going to help Ryan survive_. The image of my brother laughing and singing urged me to embrace the ordeal and deal with it.

"I'm going to need you to squeeze this every now and then to speed this up, all right?" he asked gently. He placed a soft ball into my hand and I immediately squeezed it. My arm felt absolutely awkward and ached. I heard the phone ring and Mr. Conners quietly answer it.

"Colette?" I heard Dr. Conners' voice say. "Would you come here please?"

Soon, a young pale woman with dark red hair quickly came, her white cap on her head highlighting her hair color. Her gold nametag read "Miss Wyler."

I peeked at the plastic bag hanging nearby and saw the streams of blood as thin and intertwining like thread weave itself down to the bottom. I closed my eyes again and squeezed the ball.

"Would you take care of this young lady for a minute? Dr. Samuels is calling for me." I could hear Dr. Conners lean in into Colette's ear and whisper, hoping I wouldn't catch any word. They weren't so successful. "Dr. Samuels says that Mr. Evans has finally woken up and needs special attention."

I gasped and my eyes shot open. I suddenly had an urge to jerk but knew that that wouldn't do much good especially with a needle stuck in my arm. Dr. Conners and Colette whirled around.

"Ryan's awake? He's alive? Can I see him after this?" I asked in a rushed tone.

Dr. Conners bit his lip. "He's barely awake at the moment, but…you can see him after you're done with this."

"Jack," said Colette. She whispered something in his ear and he whispered back, and my ears strained so hard to pick up any words, but there wasn't any word I could pick up. Dr. Conners quickly rushed away, leaving me in utter perplexity.

The faster I get this blood out of myself, the faster I can get to Ryan. I kept squeezing the small ball in my hand so tightly my arm twanged with pain.

"Don't strain yourself, Miss," said Colette gently. "Hurting yourself won't help you. Relax your arm."

I had no other choice but to oblige. My eyes flickered towards the plastic bag. It was barely even one-fifths full. I moaned and turned my head away, waiting as the dear minutes passed by.

(TWENTY-FOUR OCEANS, TWENTY-FOUR SKIES)

I felt dizzy and weak. Was this how Ryan felt when his life was slowly draining away? I wobbled towards the Wildcats in the hospital's cafeteria and flumped down onto the table. Colette promised me that I'll be able to see Ryan once I get a good meal in my stomach. I wasn't sure I would even have the energy to move. I felt so useless, so weak and fragile like a rag doll.

"How was it?" asked Jason. I didn't answer. Instead, I stuffed Zeke's turkey sandwiches in my mouth. The food seemed to give my some energy. I shrugged and finished the sandwich in five bites.

"Whoah, easy there," said Chad. "We don't want you eating yourself to death."

I glared at him and bit into the strawberry shortcake, savoring the sweet, juicy sensation on my tongue. The strawberries were so ripe they seemed to burst with sweet juice when my teeth sank into them.

Ryan's favorite fruit was strawberries. I felt a pang of sadness in my stomach, and it immediately hardened. I put the cake down. Zeke frowned.

"What's wrong, Sharpay?" he asked.

"Full," I said. "Ryan's awake."

Everyone gasped and relaxed considerably. They probably expected some terrible news.

"But they keep talking in hushed tones, the doctors," I added, worry stirring in my mind. "What if something's wrong with Ryan? What if he's guaranteed to die? What if…what if he's in a coma or something?"

"He's fine," Troy assured it. "I promise you. He'll be fine."

My eyes flickered down to my hands. That was a very hard thing to promise, and promise was a strong word. But Troy promised, so Ryan had to be all right. Best friends never break their promises.

"Are we allowed to visit him?" asked Taylor.

"Colette said that once I'm finished with eating, we're allowed to visit," I said. "But I can't finish this…"

Immediately, Chad stuffed the shortcake down his throat. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he nodded.

"What are we waiting for then?" he asked. Everyone immediately stood up and hurried towards the door, me lagging behind on feet as weak as a newborn foal's. The others immediately slowed their pace and we ventured through the endless hallways.

"Hopefully Colette or Dr. Conners is in that room," I said, huffing, my head spinning. "I don't think the other doctors won't be too pleased to see us."

"Is Ryan going to be in the same room?" asked Taylor.

"I don't see why not," Chad said.

"Room 287 again then," I said as we piled into the hallway, already cramped with two occupants. I squeezed towards the button panel and jabbed the number two. The elevator doors slowly closed and jerked up.

Even when I felt physically weak, my mind and endurance felt strong. For Ryan. Anything for Ryan. The numbers above the door blinked, the number two finally glowing. The doors opened and we all stumbled out, hurrying through the corridor.

"Two-hundred seventy-two, two-hundred seventy-three…" Gabriella read out the door signs. I felt an odd sensation of déjà vu, my stomach tying itself into so many knots it'll take surgery to untie them.

"Two-hundred eighty-five, two-hundred eighty-six, two-hundred eighty-seven!" We all crowded around the single door. I took a breath and turned the doorknob.

**I had to give a tribute to Leonardo DiCaprio. Dr. Jack as in Jack Dawson from Titanic and Conners as in the name that Leo's character Frank Abagnale Jr. adopted when he pretended to be a doctor. Luckily, this isn't a Catch Me If You Can and High School Musical crossover, or Ryan has a pretty slim chance of surviving, seeing that Abagnale never went to medical school and the real Abagnale almost killed a choking baby. Oh dear…but no, this guy went to medical school, even for a youngster like him. Count your blessings, Ryan, count your blessings…**

**Anyone catch that today in this fanfiction is Friday the thirteenth? Bwahahaha….**

**Sorry if Jack or Colette seem like Mary-Sue or Gary-Stus. Please ignore Jack's age…I think the real Frank Abagnale was like, seventeen when he was a doctor. I forget the details. And I based Colette's looks on Kate Winslet in Titanic. I'm like, almost obsessed with that movie. **

**For all you Leonardo DiCaprio/ Kate Winslet/ Dr. Conners haters out there, don't worry, they won't be main O.Cs. But they will have to show up considering they are now taking care of Ry-Pie. **


	9. Chapter 9

"Ryan!" I screamed as I wrenched the door open. Ryan was laying pitifully in his ocean of quilts, looking so weak with needles piercing his skin like a pincushion. I rushed to him, only to trip over my own feet and fall flat on the floor.

"Shar!" cried Ryan. He made to move, but winced painfully and clutched his wounds. "Are you okay?"

I quickly scrambled to my feet. Why did Ryan always care for me first, when he was in more pain? I immediately dashed to his side and hugged him. Ryan hissed in pain and I jumped back fearfully.

"I'm fine," he muttered weakly, closing his eyes and sinking into his quilts. I noticed Troy's eyes flickering occasionally to the bag of sickening ruby blood connected to Ryan, as if pondering if that was originally my blood. It probably was. Troy immediately slid far from it, looking queasy.

"You scared the heck out of us, Ryan," said Kelsi, hugging him lightly. "I'm so glad you're okay." Ryan smiled feebly and patted her on the back.

"Hey Ryan, I brought you some uh, some French Silk Pies that I made in case you ever need to eat something…and some Oeufs A La Neige—" Zeke said, digging through his ever-present lunch box.

"Thanks, man, but I don't think the doctors are going to approve of it." Zeke sulked slightly and zipped up the bag.

"You okay, man?" asked Chad, punching him on the shoulder. Ryan flinched and grasped his injured shoulder as Chad immediately jumped back, muttering an apology.

"For now," Ryan said.

I bit my lip hard. Ryan was trying so hard to be strong in front of us; even though I knew inside he was probably crumbling with fatigue inside. It made my heart wring in agony. I yearned to speak to him alone, to beg for forgiveness, but I didn't want to do it in front of the Wildcats.

Taylor obviously read my mind because she quietly beckoned the Wildcats outside. Kelsi and Gabriella opened their mouths to protest, but quickly shut it and followed her. Even Dr. Conners, who was standing patiently in the corner, disappeared through a different door, probably an adjoining room so he can be close to Ryan in case of an emergency.

"Ryan!" I gasped. "I'm so sorry! For everything! Okay, please don't interrupt me right now. Oh gosh, I was so terrible to you!" I was pacing back and forth, ignoring the fact that Ryan was trying to put a word edgewise. "I thought…I just thought that maybe if I grow unattached from you, I wouldn't have to deal with the pain of losing you! I know, I know, I was being a selfish brat—" Ryan tried to interrupt me, but I stopped him. "—but you know how senseless and stupid I am, so I thought that it would work! And know where have I landed you? Ryan, I didn't mean anything that I said that ever hurt you! No, _listen to me!_ I don't think you're the worst brother ever, I don't want you to leave sooner, and I definitely don't want you to die! Ryan, I don't know if you'll forgive me, and I thoroughly understand if you want to give me a good kick in the—"

"Sharpay!" Ryan immediately interrupted. I stopped abruptly. "Sharpay…I understand. I probably would've done the same thing if I—"

"No you wouldn't! If you did, you would've done it by now!" I cried, clutching my face.

"I forgave you Shar, right after you yelled at me," Ryan said quietly. "But I don't want you trying to hurt yourself."

"How can you forgive me right after I insulted you?" I demanded. If I were in Ryan's shoes, I would probably be giving myself a silent treatment and holding a life-long grudge.

"Because…well, at the risk of sounding cheesy and clichéd, I love you, Shar," Ryan said gently. "No matter how you are or what you do, I'll always love you."

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Great, now I'm getting emotional. See what divorce does to teenagers?

"Besides," smiled Ryan. "You kind of paid me back, anyways." He nodded to the plastic bag of blood that he was hooked up to. I glanced at it cautiously. Suddenly, I started to laugh, and I didn't know why. The situation was dismal.

"I'm such an idiot," I sighed, brushing my tears away. I suddenly noticed that it wasn't my hand wiping them away; it was Ryan's. "Gosh, I apologize to you _right before_ you and Mother have to move." Suddenly, an idea lit in my head. "Ryan! Maybe…maybe since you're injured, you can't move! Maybe you can stay here!"

Instead of Ryan's face brightening and agreeing with me as I had expected, it saddened. "I don't think that'll be the case, Shar," sighed Ryan. "Mom and Dad would probably postpone the moving till later."

"They wouldn't hurt their only son just to get what they want, would they?" I pleaded. There was such a small, feeble glow of hope…

Ryan shrugged, his eyelids growing heavy. I brushed flaxen strands of hair away from his eyes.

"Sorry, Shar," muttered Ryan, his voice a bare whisper. "I'm a little tired…"

"I'll leave you," I automatically replied. "I understand; you need your rest." Ryan smiled slightly and drifted off to a peaceful sleep. I sighed, stroking his hand absentmindedly.

I didn't want to think about the divorce. After Ryan's been injured, I completely forgot about it. Now that it came crashing back, I realized again how I might never see Ryan again. I could feel tears building up again.

"Crybaby," I muttered to myself. I slowly dragged my feet to the door, closing it behind me. The Wildcats, Dr. Conners and Colette were standing at the door. I noticed that Troy and Gabriella were pressing their ears against the door and yelped in pain when I accidentally slammed the door on their heads.

"He's sleeping," I informed them, mopping my eyes. Jason made to comfort me, but I brushed his hand away. I sighed. "If only Mother and Daddy weren't moving, maybe things would be a little better…"

"I don't know about you, but I intend on writing a strongly worded letter to your parents about this pain they're causing you," said Dr. Conners. I choked with laughter, wiping my hands onto my skirt. I wasn't exactly sure if he was kidding or not, he wasn't smiling or anything. He looked unusually serious.

"Is Ryan okay?" Gabriella asked.

I nodded. "Tired. Weak. Otherwise, I think he'll survive. Right?" I glanced fearfully at Dr. Conners, who didn't say anything. I bit my lip and leaned against the wall.

"I don't want to go home," I muttered. "Is there any way, I don't know, if I could stay here?"

"Sorry Miss Evans, but that isn't exactly possible," said Dr. Conners. Soon, a blonde nurse with braces came rushing towards Dr. Conners.

"Dr. Conners, Dr. Adams needs you in room 401," said the nurse.

"Right you are, Miss Strong. Dr. Adams always has problems with surgery, doesn't he? I'll see you all later." He nodded towards us. "Colette." He smiled to Colette, nodding and rushing into the elevator.

"Problems with surgery?" quoted Kelsi, frowning. I knew what she was thinking; a doctor who had troubles performing a surgery shouldn't be a doctor in the first place. This hospital _was_ inefficient.

* * *

I had reluctantly returned home about two hours ago, only to find that Daddy was home. When he demanded what happened to Ryan, I had to tell the truth. Daddy was outraged at how stupid the hospital was and was at the urge to transfer Ryan to Santa Fé's top hospitals. 

"I will not let my son be cared for by inadequate doctors that are only nineteen years old!" huffed Daddy, even though I did point out that that 'inadequate nineteen-year-old' was probably the only adequate doctor there. He quickly drove us to the hospital and demanded to see Ryan. I left them alone for a while, just hanging around in the hallways and listening to Ryan and Daddy speak. They had a friendly father-to-son conversation that they usually didn't have. It was probably the first time Daddy didn't remind Ryan to straighten his hat.

Mom was still gone. Relatives in Ohio were helping her buy a house there, and she was refusing to leave wherever she was. When I called her cell phone and told her about Ryan, she was absolutely devastated that her son was critically injured and was about to drag me all the way back to the hospital, which might've made the third time today.

I wasn't sure if Ryan would completely recover. From what Dr. Conners told me over the phone (I constantly called him now that he gave me his cell phone number, and half the time it was turned off) and found out that Ryan was getting better still really weak and he had some broken bones, an obvious injury in the stomach, and he already had to undergo surgery to get the bullets and the glass out.

"Luckily," said Dr. Conners the last time I called him. "Dr. Adams didn't do the surgery, else Ryan may have a very slim chance of surviving."

It took me a while till I realized how close April the fifteenth was. That was when Ryan and Mother were going to move. I found out that my hopes of Ryan staying were quite dashed, seeing that Mother wouldn't dare to be separated with her'Ickle-Ryan-kins' and since Ryan was getting better. Not that I didn't want Ryan to get better, I was praying for him to heal every night, but I just wanted any excuse for him to stay.

I was lying on my bed, staring at the pink ceiling fan continuously spinning round and round, the gold chain swinging like a pendulum as I pondered about life. My life flummoxed me so much, even though it seemed so simple. Why did Mother and Daddy have to divorce? Why did Jay and those blokes attack Ryan and try to rape me? Why was I the Wicked Witch of East High to Ryan? Why were we all so _bad? _

Suddenly, I heard my cell phone ring. I quickly flipped it open and answered it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, Sharpay," I heard a weak but familiar voice say.

"Ryan!" I gasped. "Are you okay? How's the hospital?"

"Fine, fine," laughed Ryan. "Mom came over. She was fussing all over me and started to demand Dr. Conners to give me the best service ever. I managed to calm her down."

"Youch," I laughed. "Are you doing okay? Getting better?"

"Yeah, your blood sure did the trick," said Ryan, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Of course, considering I have to leave this Sunday…"

I felt my heart drop down to the soles of my feet. "I feel like our whole world's dead."

"What do you mean, Shar?"

I groaned and ruffled my hair. "We're going to be separated and you'll be who knows how far away and we'll probably won't be able to see each other except…oh, I don't know, once a year? Twice? Gosh, this is all so terrible!"

Ryan sighed. "I know, sometimes I just wish that we could all have happy endings."

"Well, aren't you getting poetic," I teased.

"Well, when you're lying on a bed the whole day, you tend to get bored and try to entertain yourself," said Ryan.

I laughed softly. I felt as if this was my last golden moment with Ryan in my whole life.

"It's going to be so different," I whispered. "Not seeing you every day, not singing with you, not fighting who gets the remote…"

Ryan laughed. "Hey, you do know everything's going to be okay, right?"

"How would you know?" I asked.

Before I knew it, Ryan started to sing.

"_Everything's gonna be okay,_

_Because though tragedy's around the bend,_

_Even the darkest nights will end_

_And I know that tomorrow the sun will rise again._

_Everything's gonna be okay._

_Because God has the way through the terror and pain _

_Maybe some things won't be the same_

_But it'll be okay." _

I laughed softly. "You cheapo," I said. "Some of the lyrics you stole from the song we always hear in the radio."

I could practically hear Ryan shrug. "Well, even when you're on the bed thinking, you need inspiration, and the radio _was_ on all the time…"

I laughed. But the song was right. If Ryan says everything will be all right, then I'll believe it.

I trusted him.

**I wrote the song…yeah…odd moment to make Ryan burst into song…but hey, it's a musical!!! People do that when they're in a musical. **

**Okay, so I made two references to Titanic in this story. You can figure it out yourself. The first one is pretty easy, the second one will be a little hard to find because it's inconspicuously hidden. Whoever finds one of them or both of them first will win a prize…a dedication chappy, a review for one of their stories, and an optional prize that I'll tell them later. Note, when I say 'Titanic', I don't always mean JUST the movie. Good luck….**

**Oh, and Jack Conners is NOT it. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Apparently nobody got the Titanic thing (I highly doubt many people read author notes in the first place), seeing nobody even bothered to guess. So I'll just leave them as a mystery. Also, I've been tetchy with Sharpay's character. I think I'm losing her. **

Ryan's been in the hospital for a long time by now, so he came home slightly better. He was strictly informed not to do any dancing or other heavy exercise of any sort till he fully heals, and he would have to check with the doctors at Ohio to see if he recovered yet. I just hope they're better than Albuquerque's.

Before I came home, I quickly removed all the stuff I told him to take back some time ago and gently placed them in their appropriate spot in my room. For all I know, they could be the last of Ryan I'll ever have left. The photo, however, was completely ruined, so I had to photocopy a new one and slipped it into the rhinestone frame.

The Wildcats decided to host another farewell party, seeing that the last one didn't fare too well. It ended up with two pies smashed into Chad's face and hair, Gabriella's head stuck in a kitchen pot, and silly string all over Troy's living room. Reasons are still unknown.

It was April 14th. Ryan was going to leave tomorrow. _Tomorrow_. April fifteenth before would seem like ages away, but now I felt as if Saturday were slipping beyond my grasps like ice and I couldn't grasp it again. I could literally feel my heart beating a countdown for the seconds I had left with Ryan, seconds I couldn't regain.

I was staring at Ryan's room, now bare of everything he owned. The drawers and the clothes closet were thrown open and empty; his navy blue covers were already shoved in an already overstuffed cardboard box somewhere downstairs. All was left was a skeleton of a room. Daddy said I could do anything I want with it: change it to my own den, a karaoke room, and even another closet. I wanted nothing of those. I just wanted to keep it the way it was, even if it left no sign of Ryan.

Ryan hobbled behind me, still weak from the injuries Jay had given him. I could've said or done anything: tell him I loved him, tell him I'll miss him, ask him to call me right when he landed on Ohio, but no, I just _stood_ there and _stared_ at his room, leaning on his doorframe. There goes two minutes of Ryan-time I'll never get back.

"Hey Shar," said Ryan, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey," I said monotonously. I nodded to his stomach. "You okay?"

His hand automatically fingered his wounds. "I'm a lot better," he said.

I sighed, my eyes returning back to the bare room. There was nothing left to say anymore.

"I…can't believe you're leaving tomorrow," I said glumly. Wow. What wonderful last words. Ryan sighed sadly.

"Well, I guess we'll live out every day?" smiled Ryan. I raised my eyebrows. Ryan then kneeled down on one knee, because bowing would just make his wounds hurt more.

"Would the mademoiselle care to be escorted to anywhere?" he asked in a French accent. I rolled my eyes and slapped Ryan playfully.

"Surprise me," I said. Ryan smiled and clambered back onto his feet. He gently took my hand and led me down to the garage. He opened the passenger seat of his green Mercedes like a gentleman and beckoned me to get in. I slipped onto the leather seat as Ryan sat down in the driver's seat and revved the engine. I opened the windows and let the lukewarm breeze brush against my skin. Everything felt so peaceful, even though life was far from it. I watched the line of suburban houses pass by, remembering how I hated them so much. I didn't anymore, now that I know that everything will be fine. Ryan promised me so.

"Here we are, milady," said Ryan, still using his French accent. I peered out the window. I recognized the glimmering lake so smooth it was a mirror. I saw the ocean of wildflowers and the vast stretch of the emerald forest.

"Shea Park," I said, smiling slightly. Whenever we were little, Mother and Daddy would always take us here every Saturday to play.

"Yup," said Ryan, hopping out of the car. I nonchalantly slipped out of the vehicle and followed Ryan past the intricate entrance gate.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it?" said Ryan. The sky was thick with gray bloods that were tinted with a cold shade of blue that left a slight chill in the air, but that seemed to beautify the park.

"A little too many memories," I said, sitting down on a marble bench. "Remember when you tricked me by telling me there was treasure in the flower bed and when I went looking for it, you and Daddy got to eat some ice cream _all to yourself_?"

Ryan laughed. "Those were the good ol' days when you were gullible."

"Hey!" I snapped, laughing. "Now I know better."

"There _is _treasure in there, Shar. You just didn't appreciate them as much, back then?"

"And what's that?"

"The flowers, of course. It's like the stories Mom always told us, about the king who didn't want to dress in the gold and diamonds that cost lives to have, but instead with flowers that made him more beautiful than ever."

"You're getting awful poetic and philosophical these days," I pointed out. Ryan shrugged and plucked a bright blue aster off the ground.

"You know, this would look _awesome_ in your hair…" he said. "But seeing that you don't appreciate Mother Nature's beautiful jewelry…"

"Oh, come on," I said. "I never said I didn't."

Ryan smiled and slipped the delicate flower into my hair. I patted the velvety petals appreciatively.

"And remember when we got in a big fight and you ran off into the forest in the third grade?" said Ryan, sitting beside me.

"Like yesterday," I said. "But then I got lost and scared, especially since Chad kept telling everyone about stories where monsters and ghosts lurk in the forest and eat little girls."

"Yeah, Chad was the storyteller back in the days," agreed Ryan.

"But then you came and tried to find me," I said. The words tumbling out of my mouth suddenly triggered the memory of Ryan saving me from Jay and the others. "And you found me and told me that you're there to protect me…and that everything will be okay…" I looked into his sky-blue eyes. "That's your motto, isn't it?"

Ryan smiled. It took me a while before I realized that our feet were moving, and it took me even longer to find out that we were heading right into the Forbidden Forest. The shadows were dark and looming, but it had a peaceful and a mysterious air around it. Right when we stepped in, a cold chill ran down my spine, but Ryan's hand was clasped tightly into mine, and I felt peace.

I so wished that Ryan didn't have to go. I wanted to amble in this forest and keep on clutching his hand forever…or at least, long enough so Mother and Daddy finally agree to keep Ryan in Albuquerque. I tightened my grip as we strolled deeper into the forest.

"I'm going to miss this place so much," murmured Ryan. It just hurt me so much.

"You'll come around and visit, right?" I implored. It was kind of odd; usually it was Ryan assuring me that he'll come around and me doubting every word he says.

"Probably, even if I have to stow away in a plane or something drastic like that," said Ryan. We walked in silence for another moment.

"I have to be honest with you…" I said softly. "Back before, I guess I didn't appreciate you being my brother. But now…now I know I'm so blessed to have you." I gave Ryan a one-arm hug. "Sucks though, huh, that I figured it out so late. They say you never know what you got till it's gone."

"They're half right," said Ryan. I glanced quizzically at him. "I'm not gone, and I probably won't be gone till I'm in my coffin. It's like what _you _said, m'dear Sharpay. I'm coming back, aren't I?"

"I guess…" I whispered. I took a deep breath, and before I knew it, melodic words escaped my tongue.

"_It's hard to believe_

_that I couldn't see_

_How you were always there beside me…_

_Thought I was alone, with no one to hold,_

_But you were always there beside me…"_

I raised an eyebrow at Ryan, beckoning him to join in the song. Ryan laughed softly.

"_This feeling's like no other_

_I want you to know_

_That I never had someone_

_Who knows me like you do_

_The way you do!_

_I've never had someone who's good for me as you_

_No one like you._

_So lonely before, I finally found…_

_What I've been looking for."_

"You know, Kelsi's songs are really…really…what's the word I'm looking for?" I snapped my fingers a few times.

Ryan grinned. "I know what you mean. Scary accurate sometimes."

"The song's true though…" I murmured. "I didn't sing it just because I felt like it."

"Neither did I."

I began to really, really hate myself for acting cold towards Ryan for the past sixteen to seventeen years.

"Um…Ryan?" I asked. "You _do_ know where we are going, right?"

"Of course I—" Ryan abruptly paused "Uh…of _course_ I do!"

"Right…" I drawled I frowned and craned my neck to view the sky. Menacing gray clouds peeked through the clumps of jade leaves. I suddenly felt freezing drops of rain pelt my head.

"We better get out of here," I said, pulling Ryan away "It's going to rain."

"Hey, it can't get that bad," said Ryan. Famous last words. The rain started to strengthen until it was a downright downpour. I screamed as I was sloshed with gallons of rainwater as Ryan and I scampered through the rain. I could pick out Ryan's laughing and singing behind me.

"What are you doing?" I shrieked, my teeth chattering with the cold.

"Singin' in the rain!" he laughed. Before I knew it, he grabbed my hands and spun me around. I shrieked for Ryan to stop but as I tried to utter a scream, it came out as laughter.

"Ryan, stop it!" I laughed as we spun faster and faster until we both collapsed onto the slippery grass. We were all sopping wet, our blond hair sticking to our faces. Ryan suddenly sprung from the ground and ran around like a maniac, lifting up his arms like in the 'I'm king of the world' scene and running around like a little kid. Believe it or not, I joined in. I could feel my throat scratch with laughter as we flew through the meadow of beautiful flowers dotted with crystal raindrops. We pranced among the daffodils and the tulips like fairies, spinning and screaming and even the dance routines that we practiced earlier. It was wonderful, to dance in the rain with my last golden day with Ryan, with not a care in the world…

* * *

"…I think we learned a lesson today," said Ryan, his teeth chattering as he clutched his quilt tightly and sipped on hot cocoa. 

"Yeah. When you're sibling starts pretending he's in a musical, it ends up with stuffy noses and slight colds," I muttered jokingly, my voice nasally because of my cursed stuffed-up nose.

**So my sister and I went around running and screaming and laughing in the rain too. Luckily, we didn't get a cold, because we didn't hang around in it too long. My suspicious were correct: the last chapter would most likely be chapter eleven, aka the next chapter. Oh, and references made to TobyMac and Singin' in the Rain.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**I finished watching What's Eating Gilbert Grape last night. It's a good movie, I recommend it. Unless, of course, you hate either Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp…but their performance was phenomenal. **

**Last chapter, everyone! **

April fifteenth.

It came so unexpectedly.

Like a random avalanche of bricks or something like that.

I wish I had the power to stop time, to maybe change history. I could change it so Mother and Daddy would love each other again, and that we would all stay together. But I didn't. I was powerless.

All the suitcases and the cardboard boxes were now stuffed in the already cramped van of one of Mother's friends. The house was a lot emptier and bitter, as if all signs of life were already wiped away. It felt lonely and dreary, a gust of cold chills always affecting all of us in our hearts.

Mother and Daddy didn't care. They were absolutely thrilled that they were going to be separated. I balled my hands into fists, anger surging in me. They didn't think about us, did they? They didn't care that Ryan and I were going to be torn apart. I hated them for that. I hated them for everything they did that hurt us. But all this hating wouldn't do any good for me but build a towering wall of grudge between me and my parents, though they pretty much deserved it.

I heard the housekeeper quickly shoving boxes into the overcrowded van and Ryan talking on his cell phone to Gabriella. The day felt so hectic and bustling, but I felt absolutely cold and lifeless. I gazed at the mosaic clock on the crème walls. 9:55 AM. Ryan was leaving in five minutes. _Five minutes_, and he'll be gone forever.

"Hi Shar," said a soft voice. I blearily turned around to be face-to-face with Ryan, smiling weakly.

"Hey, Ryan," I mumbled glumly. I sighed, glancing outside the window where Mother was scolding the housekeeper to pick up the pace. "I wonder how it'll be in Ohio."

"Nowhere near as wonderful as Albuquerque," Ryan said earnestly. I snickered, combing my golden hair with my fingers.

"Nowhere in the U.S.A. will be as great as Albuquerque," I added.

"Nowhere in North America."

"Nowhere in the Northern Hemisphere!"

"Nowhere in the _world_!" Ryan and I burst out laughing, hugging each other so tight we would've melted together.

"What if Mother remarries, or Daddy?" I whispered. "Then I'll some other sibling dumped onto me."

"If so, give them a chance," said Ryan. "They could be pretty awesome. But whoever I get as a sister, she'll never be as wonderful as you are." I somewhat doubted that I was all that wonderful, considering I almost killed my only brother.

"And if I got a brother…he'll never, _ever_ be as amazing as you," I said. "Not every brother would be willing to get beat up for their sister." Ryan tightened his grip on me, and when we let go, I could see his eyes were quite wet. I didn't know that I was on the verge of tears too.

"Ryan, it's time to go!" Both our heads whipped at the clock. I gaped, 10:00 AM. That quickly? Five minutes felt less than a nanosecond. I immediately grasped Ryan's hand tightly. Ryan took a deep breath as we both slowly strode outside.

The air felt freezing cold. The sky was heavily blanketed with thick, swirling gray clouds that threatened a storm at any minute. I shivered as an icy draft surrounded us. I gripped Ryan's hand so hard my fingers hurt. The van seemed miles away from the porch, and I yearned to whirl around and drag Ryan back into the house. My eyes darted to Ryan, who was shivering slightly. Whether or not it was because of the cold, I didn't know.

"Come on, Ryan!" yelled Mother, who was in the passenger's seat. One of Mother's friends was driving Ryan and her to the airport. We both halted and Ryan slowly loosened his grip on my hand. I reluctantly let go. Ryan slid open the van door and clambered into the backseat. As the door slammed shut, Ryan immediately scrolled the window down. I rushed over, grabbing his hand again.

"You promise me that you'll call right when you get off the plane?" I asked. The engine revved and the car was slowly moving, so I had to pace quickly to catch up.

"I promise," Ryan murmured. "I'll talk to you every day, for as long as possible."

For the first time in my life, I saw Ryan crying. Silvery tears were streaming down his pale face. I bit my lip, my heart mangled with pain.

"And you promise that you'll visit me or vice versa?" I asked. Ryan opened his mouth, but his throat was caught up with tears and he couldn't speak. He nodded.

"You'll be okay, right?" I asked. "You aren't going to be bullied at school or something like that, right? You'll be okay?"

"I will be, Shar, I will," Ryan assured me. I sniffed as my vision blurred and salty tears soaked my cheeks. I clutched his hand tighter, refusing to ever let go. I made a terrible mistake my whole life, and I didn't want to err again.

"Promise me you'll be strong?" whispered Ryan.

"I promise," I choked out. The van was quickening, so I had to pick up my pace. Before long, I was sprinting, still clenching Ryan's hand, refusing to ever let go.

"Sharpay, please let go!" ordered Mother. I held my breath, my eyes darting towards Ryan for help. His baby blue eyes had so much pain it killed me.

"I love you, Shar," he whispered. Slowly, his fingers slipped out of mine and the car was immediately swallowed into the distance and disappeared around the corner, taking my heart with it.

I don't know how long I stayed there, rooted to the spot. Outside grew chillier and the cruel wind whipped my hair around. I felt my limbs grow numb with loss. The cascade of tears steadily strengthened. I could still feel Ryan's warm hand in mine, my fingers twitching as if I could still feel his smooth skin. All there was left was broken hearts and iciness. I remained standing on the sidewalk, my mouth whispering a dwindling thread of words that would forever echo in the air.

"I love you too, Ryan."

**Quite a short chapter, but I think that it shouldn't be too long. It's only two pages, not counting this author's note. Anyways, I want to thank all of my readers for reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it! **


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